What to look for in a mentor

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur who’s in the early days of bootstrapping, or your startup is ramping up and you’ve just secured VC funding, having a mentor to bounce ideas off of and discuss the pain points you’re going through can make life so much easier as a founder.

Aside from choosing someone that you have a great rapport with, it’s important that they have a similar vision and set of goals. If you are growing big and fast, you need someone who has the same mindset, yet can warn you about the risks.  If you are going for long-term success, a mentor who pushes too hard to go too fast can be just as detrimental to your goals.

One way to begin your mentor search is to create a list of leaders you admire and determine what traits you admire about them. Then, narrow this list down by establishing who you know that meets this set of traits and ask the same question of those within your industry.

Once you’ve developed this mentor shortlist, there are three key things to look for in the people you’re considering:

Honesty

While you want to work with someone who’s got your back, it’s important that you choose someone you know is going to provide you with honest feedback, and who will do this constructively.

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