Entrepreneurs and small business owners are often looking at ways to save costs across multiple facets of their business. Whether it’s free app subscriptions, free networking meetings, or free software, businesspeople with stretched time and budgets can find a wealth of free services by accessing the right loopholes.

With mentoring, however, there are reasons why you should consider reaching into your pocket to “find a mentor”.

1. Get instant access

If you’re looking at connecting with a voluntary mentor, it’s likely you want someone who is highly successful in their industry. If you somehow manage to convince them to give you access to their time for free, it’s likely to be in between their busy schedule.

As a result, it can be quite difficult to get a meeting scheduled on their calendar. Meetings are often rescheduled, as something has come up which they must attend to, so voluntary services will tend to be put on hold.

With paid mentors for business, there will be regular contact, and a certain accessibility you can expect, because the business mentor is being compensated for their time, which means more reliability and, ultimately, better results.

2. Show your true self

At times, mentees will find themselves in situations where they’re trying to impress their mentor. If you have managed to get access to a reputable and successful businessperson, you might fall into the trap of trying to show them everything you’re doing well. You (naturally) will want to appear higher functioning and more successful so they become invested in helping you.

However, with paid business mentors, you will want to get the most out of your sessions with them because you’re paying for their time, which means quickly and completely sharing all your difficulties and challenges.

Remember, there’s more comfort in showing your failures to someone who you are paying to help you analyse and overcome your difficulties. And as you likely already know, learning through failure is one of the best ways to learn about running a successful business – as crazy as that might sound!

3. Pre-qualified business mentors

You need to be careful not to end up with a mentor who can’t actually help you. Often, a voluntary business mentor believes they are doing right by someone simply by giving their time. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. A mentor’s charisma, for example, might seem like an important factor for you, but what’s more critical is the mentor’s connections, experience and proven business acumen. So, it’s not only about who you connect with, but who can provide you and your business with the best and most relevant guidance.

We bring you the best of both free and paid business mentoring. Whether you’re starting, continuing, or expanding your business, sign up here https://jbm4u.com/#/registration/mentee to avail up to three FREE online, 1-2-1 mentoring sessions with any of our experienced mentors, before committing!