As a founder, you can learn a lot from startup mentors–after all, they have been there and done that. According to research, 70 percent of businesses with mentors survive 5 years more than non-mentored businesses. Moreover, 88 percent of business owners believe that having a mentor that they can rely on is priceless and incomparable. 

Mentors don’t just help in motivating you. Now that you are in the process of starting your own business, you probably already have all the motivation you need. Mentors can actually help you in understanding the market better and give you valuable advice to steer your business in the right direction. Growing pains are common for all startups and you will eventually end up making obvious mistakes. Mentors can help you in successfully avoiding these mistakes because they have been in your position before. 

A lot goes into launching a startup, but what’s often more difficult is finding strong, supportive, and right mentorship. 

Here are the top tips to find great startup mentors:

Mentors with the right connections :

If your startup has been in dire need of funding, even the best pitch decks will not be as effective at raising funds as an experienced and well-connected mentor. No matter how much you try to praise your own company, an external stamp of approval from a renowned mentor can go a long way in getting funds, establishing your company name in the industry, and closing big clients. With the right industry connections and contacts, mentors can help you reach out to various people in the industry in order to run a proof of concept. 

Moreover, they can also help you connect with experts in other fields, whether you need some technical guidance or help with your business’s strategic growth model.

The idea behind choosing a well-connected mentor is fairly simple — Your mentor will probably not have answers to all your questions but they can help you connect with the right people who have the answers that you need. 

Mentors who can help you find your target customers :

Not all startups begin by trying to solve a big customer problem. Sometimes startups develop a solution or a tool first and then they try to find a fitting problem that they can solve with it. This is a fundamental disconnect between the customers and startups which is pretty common and it can cause big product-market fit problems later.  

The right mentors can help you identify your target customers and understand what those customers are really looking for. With their tremendous experience, mentors can guide you in taking a deep dive into your most ideal and fitting customer base. They can also help you in making different customer personas. Moreover, mentors can use their connections to test out your products with different audience demographics to see which ones perform the best. 

A mentor who gets you out of your comfort zone :

You may want to find a mentor who has the same technical background, experience, mindset, or college degree as you so that you communicate easily with them. But would that be helpful for your startup? Choosing a mentor who thinks exactly like you may not be the best decision for your business.

Instead, you want someone who can help you pinpoint things that you might have forgotten about. A mentor who forces you to look at the other side of the coin and gets you out of your comfort zone. 

A mentor with the right experience :

The mentor you choose should have vast experience as an entrepreneur. More importantly, they should have experience of being a mentor.

Just because someone has achieved success in a particular field does not mean they will be willing to share all of their knowledge with you. It isn’t about finding a mentor who has the biggest name or the most years of experience. It’s about finding a mentor who has the required expertise and knowledge to help you with your startup journey. The ideal mentor should be in the same industry as your startup or they should have helped a similar startup as yours in the past. 

A mentor who is compatible with you :

While you are searching for a good mentor for your startup, it can be tempting to reach out to admired and successful business leaders, who might not have the experience or the knowledge that your startup truly needs.

Some mentors may seem like a good fit on paper but they might not see the value in you or your business. Ideally, you should go for a mentor who understands the worth of your team and your products. The right mentor will be excited about giving you advice and watching your startup grow successfully from the ground up.

Find the right startup mentors with Jupiter Business Mentors :

Finding professional startup mentors that have the right connections, industry experience, and compatibility can be just as challenging as launching your own startup. Jupiter Business Mentors makes the entire process easy for you by connecting you with the right mentors that can guide you on the right path with their valuable advice. With 35+ mentors spread across over a dozen of industries, finding a mentor is now just as easy as clicking a few buttons. 

Take a look at how Jupiter Business Mentors can help you take your business to new heights. You can get over 30 minutes of three free sessions with your choice of mentors on the platform.