Top 10 Nuggets On Finding And Securing A Mentor (EP18)

In this episode, Serial Entrepreneur, Property Investor, Attorney and Speaker Mompoloki Lerumo Mogobe talks about establishing a relationship of mentee-mentor . He explains his take on how young entrepreneurs can best find and secure mentors to help them in their entrepreneurial journey.

The nuggets of wisdom are as follows:

1) Look for someone in industry who you admire and whose values and outcomes you believe in and wish to replicate.
2) Study that person from a distance and make sure you read up as much as you can and absorb as much content as possible produced by that person in terms of newspaper articles, face book articles, books, even YouTube material produced by that person- be sure to internalize and absorb that content.
3) Arrange to appoint with the potential mentor by offering them breakfast, lunch or dinner and Yes! pay for that meal and yes if that person owns a restaurant offer them a meal at their Restaurant, if they own a lodge offer them a meal at their lodge, hotel or shop.
4) At the meeting ask the mentor what books, podcasts or sources of information have most influenced their career and success. Write down those books and sources. At least the most important ones.
5)Proceed to study and absorb and internalise those materials. If the mentor has his favourite seminars or conferences. Proceed to attend those as well and ensure that you become good at that field of economic endeavour.
6) Offer to work or collaborate with the said mentor. You could even offer to work initially for free or for a vastly reduced pay so that you can use that opportunity as a form of apprenticeship. If that does not work offer to do something, some services or offer some product to the mentor for free.
7) Request regular meetings with the mentor one on one, at least once a month. If that is not possible, position yourself to be attending seminars or talks at which your mentor is speaking or participating in one form or the other.
8) Recognise the mentor and the role he or she has played by sharing the information (if it is not a confidential or proprietary) with others and ensure there is a multiplier effect.
9) Execute with excellence in the field of economic endeavour in which you have sourced information and expertise from your mentor to create the sort results that the mentor will be proud of, so that you can aim to march or beat the mentor to the point that you as a protégé can in fact surpass the master.
10) Make sure that the relationship is enduring long lasting and long term by cultivating it to even involve families and significant others as it matures.
11) BONUS: Be a sponge, absorb information like a sponge, be teachable and open minded and be willing to experiment of course within your moral code or parameters.