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How to Get a Successful Mentor

To get a successful mentor, there are two important components:

  1. Sources
  2. Persuading mentors to mentor you (finding a mutually beneficial proposition)

Mentor Sources:

  1. Directly contacting the person you want to mentor you (LinkedIn, Email Introductions twitter etc). I’ve caught the attention some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs on Twitter (Donald Trump), LinkedIn, forums (Some business partners), Facebook, and even through a proprietary messaging app (Mark Cuban) they invested in.
  2. Getting a referral from a mutual acquaintance
  3. Alumni networks (I found this surprisingly useful because you can send a direct email to person)
  4. Emailing team members at their company and asking for a direct introduction

Persuading Someone to Become Your Mentor:

  1. Ask their criteria (sometimes you can pay them, but, in the case of billionaires, their time is so valuable that you can’t afford to pay them)
  2. Offer them equity in a potentially high growth company
  3. Have strong references (Personally, I require the mentee to create a list of successful, credible references)
  4. Offer to assist them in other ways (eg. Help them find connections or service providers)

Further, it may make sense to read books written by your favorite mentor rather learn directly from them.

By Leon Apel

Leon Apel works virtually with talented team members from North America, Europe and Asia on projects designed to improve life on earth.

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