Having a mentor to guide you on your freelance business journey can not only boost your confidence by providing you with reassuring support and guidance, but it can also have a significant positive impact on your overall freelance success. As well as benefiting from their experience, a good mentor can ensure you are on the right track and help you reach your goals faster. But how do you go about choosing one, and how do you know if they are the right fit for you?
Here are 5 considerations to take into account when choosing a mentor:
1. Your goals
Before you choose a mentor, you first have to define your goals. Where do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? Where do you see yourself in a year or five years’ time? Unless you know your goals and what you want to achieve, you won’t know if you’ve reached them or not.
Your vision might be a financial one, like making six figures by the end of a specific period, or a status goal, such as becoming the go-to freelancer and expert in your field. It could also be something more intangible but just as rewarding, like increased confidence or improved leadership skills.
Your goals should be specific and measurable: you need to know exactly what you’re aiming for, why you’re aiming for it, and what needs to happen to show that you’ve achieved it.
2. Mentor experience
It’s only logical that the mentor you seek has relevant experience, for example, maybe they’ve already been in your position, and have now moved on, so they know the steps you need to go through to reach your goals. A mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be in the exact same industry as you; it could simply be someone who is a successful entrepreneur who can help you navigate increasing your rates, launching a product, or achieving another business-related goal. A mentor doesn’t need to be massively ahead of you, either; it might be someone who’s one or two steps ahead who can help you with your goals.
In addition to guidance and understanding, a good mentor can also help you with suggesting the right tools for the job. Take invoicing, for example. If you want to get paid fast and on time, it makes sense to use invoicing software that integrates with all the most popular payment gateway providers so you can get paid online at the click of a button. Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoicing software for freelancers and small businesses that does just that. It also includes a great range of freelancer and small-business-friendly features to help you get paid fast. Try it for free here.
3. Accept that failure is part of success
While it makes sense that your mentor is someone who has achieved what you aspire to, you should also consider someone who has experienced failure, too. While it might seem counterintuitive, you can learn from their mistakes as to what not to do. There’s a lot to be learned from failure that instant success simply cannot teach you. Most people who fail, even if they fail several times, eventually succeed if they apply determination and persistence. There’s an apt quote about this by former US President Calvin Coolidge:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved, and will always solve, the problems of the human race.”
So persistence definitely pays off!
4. Mentor qualities
A good mentor always has your best interests at heart, understands where you are right now, is encouraging, and gives you the time of day. You’ll also want to ensure your values align. If, at first glance, the mentor you seek seems critical or unresponsive, or although a good fit on paper, there’s just something about them that doesn’t sit well with you, it’s probably better to trust your gut instincts. Not everyone aligns, and that’s okay, too.
A good mentor will help you focus on what’s working so you can do more of it and help navigate you through challenges.
Another thing to take into account is that every person’s business journey is unique to them, so mentoring is not something that works well with cookie-cutter processes or a one-size-fits-all approach. If the mentor you seek has already mentored others, while this is generally a good sign, you should still check out case studies and testimonials from other mentees to make sure they are the right one for you personally.
On the other hand, it might be that your mentor hasn’t mentored anyone before, but you can clearly see they’ve been successful, and you hit it off. Sometimes, mentors can appear in your life from the most unlikely of paths, so pay attention and take action if and when it happens.
5. Be mentorable
In addition to finding a mentor who has all the qualities, attributes, and experience you seek, it’s worth bearing in mind that the relationship is not a one-way street; you’ll also need to be mentorable. This means taking all their guidance on board. Remember, your mentor is here to help you, not compete with you; they want you to succeed, so before you dig your heels in with a suggestion or course of action you don’t like, step back and consider why they might be suggesting it and why you might be hesitant. Sometimes, doing the uncomfortable thing is where the breakthroughs happen.
Finally, some people designate mentors with whom they have no personal connection whatsoever, but they see them as role models. For example, you might choose someone well-known and, while not directly hiring them, follow their progress for inspiration. Whatever path you choose, investing time in a mentor shows you mean business and are open to growth opportunities. Go you!
