Maria Anderson, founder of Sustainable Business Services, grew up amidst a family business and has always been passionate about business. When she decided to start her own business in 2008, Maria knew that she had a good idea and good business skills, but she lacked confidence.
“I found myself thinking that existing business owners would have more knowledge,” admits Maria. “I had so much to do with so few resources. So I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. The MentorNet program helped me to hit the ground running.”
MentorNet connects new businesswomen with seasoned business professionals who act as guides.
“Being involved in a program with other businesswomen gave me a lot of confidence and support,” Maria says. “When I started my business, there were so many people who wanted to give me unsolicited advice. And there were others who thought I should look for a job instead. My mentor and my peers in MentorNet were very positive and supportive. One thing I found critical in starting the business was the need to surround myself with positive people who believed in me and supported me to move forward in building the business. I had enough of my own self doubt! The MentorNet program gave me an enormous amount of confidence.”
Like Maria, most new businesswomen don’t have time to take a whole day off to attend business workshops. MentorNet makes business education convenient and efficient through webinars and online networking events. Maria found that the MentorNet program was easy to understand and practical to implement.
“Building a business can seem like such a big hill to climb,” she explains. “MentorNet broke that epic climb down to small day trips. The content was presented in a very simple format which was easy to understand, and the activities were easy to implement. I loved the interactive nature of the program. You can bounce ideas off other businesswomen and even test product ideas, brand messages and promotional material. The feedback I received from other participants gave me wonderful insights and helped me to develop products, messages and promotions that were appealing to my target audience. This enabled me to grow my brand much faster in a very targeted way.” “The Mentornet program created an instant community for us,” Maria continues. “Our tribe consisted of people with different areas of expertise and different life experiences. Yet we all faced the same common business challenges. As in any community, there was always someone there who could answer my question. In turn, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction in being able to help other mentorees with marketing ideas on how to grow their business. I genuinely believe that this community wealth of knowledge has helped me grow my business faster and helped me to avoid common business mistakes.”
Maria started her business with an attitude of uncertainty and a low level of confidence.
MentorNet boosted Maria’s confidence to such a degree that she now regularly takes on professional speaking engagements.
“I had delivered corporate presentations previously,” recalls Maria, “but I always felt anxious. Now, my speaking style has evolved to a very interactive, educational, workshop style with actionable outcomes, and I feel a lot more confident. I actually enjoy speaking now! The MentorNet program provided me with new skills and a newfound confidence as well as constant inspiration and motivation.”
Would you like to boost your confidence as a businesswoman? Sign up for MentorNet today.
