Steps to Becoming a Successful Internet Business Mentor
19 June 2008
If you are considering becoming an Internet business mentor, the odds are good that you will be dealing with a young clientele. Sure, there are also many stay at home parents and retirees that are working on building an online business, but by and large the Internet is the venue of choice for the young, and if you are thinking of mentoring such an entrepreneur, the means of approaching and dealing with the individual are entirely different than they would be if you were mentoring in a different setting. It is interesting to note that young people involve din online businesses are extremely serious about their success and they are not likely to accept trite attempts at building relationships!
For example, before you and your mentee get down to business, it is crucial that you understand what she or he is after. Especially as an Internet business mentor who may or may not have any face to face interaction with the person you are mentoring, the odds are good that listening the first casualty of the relationship. As far as you are concerned, do not let this happen! Instead, get to know your mentee, find out exactly what the business they are setting up entails, and also how things are different for her or him when compared to you and your time of setting up a business. The odds are good that the obstacles faced are vastly different, although they contain many a common thread. While Internet savvy is not required, it is most certainly a most valuable asset when becoming and Internet business mentor.
Another aspect that sometimes goes by the wayside in an online mentoring relationship is the need for appreciation and praise on the part of the mentee. Sure, the person is young and trying to learn from you the ins and outs of business, but especially because they are young they are in desperate need of approval and if it is not forthcoming from parents or peers, you might be the closest thing to a validating relationship the individual will ever hope of attaining. Do not forget to express your appreciation for the efforts your mentee is making, and also repeatedly express your faith in the individual. Find good things to point out, and if you must nag or point out problems – as is often the case in an Internet business mentor relationship with a much younger mentee – do it gently and take great care not to crush the budding entrepreneurial spirit in the person.
Even as you are working on building your Internet business mentor relationship, keep in mind that treating the mentee as a peer in some cases is not feasible. While the enthusiasm of youth can indeed cover over a multitude of business mistakes, it cannot make up for a young mentee who simply does not know how to function within the online business community. It is at this juncture of the mentor-mentee relationship that you will need to take the lead and become more of a teacher than a mentor and even teach the very basics in the hope of leading the young entrepreneur to join the ranks of the online business people.
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