Mentors and Cheerleaders
I remember when i was 6 years old i was in awe of my mom , and my aunts because they could cook and bake like Martha Stewart. I remember trying to help with baking Christmas Cookies, and i think there was more flour on me than in the cookies…. but as a newbie just starting to learn there was so much to discover. One of the first clear thoughts I had was to respect and listen to those who knew more, had more experience, and could share skills.
I grew up baking with my mom, and came to love those times in the kitchen together. And baking is a skill my mom encouraged, developed, cheered me on with.
Growing a business is a lot like baking. You can see those who are a bit farther down the road, honing their skills at bookkeeping, marketing, market development, and product development. I just love to sit and soak in the experience, ask questions and grow in my knowledge of how to do business based on skills others have honed. Likewise Steve and I have always felt there is a need to allow that knowledge to flow on to others. That model of having someone mentor me, and i in turn mentor someone else is a very successful one. I can list a few people that have taken the time to really help, encourage, direct and foster a new skill.
In an article Miranda Morley offers these reasons to have a mentor:
If you are striving to grow your business, find a mentor. If you have need to develop a skill, such as web design, photographing your products, copy writing, web design, find a mentor. People are out there, and willing to share their knowledge. We just need to be willing to receive and act on it.