If you are an entrepreneur and you don’t have a mentor, there’s gotta be something wrong with you. Seriously.
Entrepreneurs without mentors are like healthy seeds that are growing in a random grassland: Some seeds die; some seeds grow. And for those that are growing, only a few grows really well, withstanding harsh environment. Now, compare that to the seeds planted in fertile ground, cared by farmers.
Mentors are like those farmers. You might have the entrepreneurial gifts within you, and you may be able to do things your way. However, without mentors, chances are, you can’t grow to your full potential. And it’s a pity, really.
Because of the lack of entrepreneurial supports from my friends and family, I choose to look up to mentors online. Yes, I have online mentors.
Although I never personally meet my mentors, I have followed their work. My mentors are mainly entrepreneurs, motivators and small business owners, who are characterized by one thing: They create opportunities for others, and they empower others to create their own opportunities.
Of many mentors I have, the recent three has helped me enhance my focus and, to be honest with you, has made me uncomfortable staying in my comfort zone. On daily basis, I feel the need to challenge myself, to be better – personally and professionally, and to thrive for excellence.
In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving, I would like to recognize and show my gratitude to the mentors who have helped me thrive in the business world:
Brendon Burchard
Brendon is a prolific author, public speaker and online trainer who has changed the life of millions through his video series, seminars an training programs.
The first time I heard about Brendon Burchard is from his video, How incredibly successful people think. Since then, I’ve watched every single video he published on YouTube, attending his webinars and reading his books.
For some reasons, his stories, interviews and seminars resonate well with my situation and line of business: He’s practically running an online business, outsourcing things, and make multi-million-dollar in annual revenue – helping people to create million-dollar-business helping others with what they know. He also help people to find the ‘charge’ within, so that they can make a positive impact in their community with their personality and business ventures.
I like Brendon for his stories and presentation style: He is not your typical motivator who pump you up with affirmations and pep talks. Instead, he makes difficult things simple by breaking complicated issue (e.g. Fear of starting up a business) into actionable items, that, if you take action on them, will actually change your life in an instance.
So, if you are into entrepreneurship – especially online entrepreneurship – and want create a business that matters to others, I recommend you to follow Brendon Burchard, starting from his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BrendonBurchard
Gary Vaynerchuk
It’s funny that I actually knew him as an angel investor. I have this keen interest in someone who love to invest on startups, so I learn more about him. I finally found out that he was ‘the wine guy’ – someone who run WineLibrary.TV, offering great tips on wines for wine enthusiasts and a wine noob like me. I also saw him regularly on social media.
Later, I found out that Gary Vaynerchuk is also an avid business owner, entrepreneur, investor, and social media superstar. He transforms his father’s liquor business into a respectable wine business, raking in multi-million dollar in revenue.
I then started to watch his keynote speeches, and I was immediately becoming a huge fan for his social media marketing prowess, unique presentation style in his keynotes (he loves to use strong words!) and business insights. He teaches people – mostly marketers – on how to get their message to the target market in today’s world full of distractions.
Growing his Vaynermedia to a 300-person media company in just a couple of years is also quite a feat. And, oh, I forgot to mention you that he is actually a billionaire, and he wants to buy the NFL’s New York jets.
If you want to learn more about Mr. Vaynerchuk and his work, you’ve got to watch his #AskGaryVee series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfA33-E9P7FC0AoARnMLvgFgESJe4_Ngs
Mike Maloney
I always think that entrepreneurship is just a part of the story in my journey to financial independence. Another part of the story is wealth building. You see, knowing how to make money from your business is important, but you need to be aware that knowing how to secure your hard-earned money is another crucial thing.
I am passionate about wealth building. So, I’ve spent my time learning about wealth building – fundamentally. I’ve decided NOT to plunge into stock investing. Instead, I’m into real estate and precious metal investing.
In the past 12 months, I am learning about gold and silver investing, and have got my hand and feet wet, practicing what I’ve learned. Indeed, I ‘hedge’ my fiat money into physical gold and silver. The person who is ‘responsible’ for me doing so is Mike Maloney.
Mike Maloney’s shocking video series about the collapse of the financial system as we know it is an eye opener. Just like Brendon, Mike makes difficult issues (e.g. Analyzing and predicting the financial metrics, such as gold vs. Silver vs. Stock market., explaining why massive inflation has always started out by a short period of deflation, etc.) easy to discern.
You can learn from Mike’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/whygoldandsilver
Now, over to you…
So, there you go. Three mentors I am thankful for, who have helped me to be a better person and entrepreneur. How about you? Do you have mentor(s)? If so, please share with us, so that we can also learn from them.
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Spark Business℠ from Capital One®, but concerns my own opinion. This is the seventh post in a series of eight.