The new “Mentoring Stories” eBook, published by the HerBusiness (ABN), reveals why many successful women seek a mentor to help them grow and expand their business.
“We have heard hundreds of stories on how and why a mentor can benefit a small business. This publication highlights some of the common reasons that women seek out mentors and the benefits they’ve derived from these important relationships,” explains the ABN’s CEO, Suzi Dafnis.
The free publication is now available for download and is a excellent source of inspiration shared through the stories of seven successful female entrepreneurs.
The book reveals that although most people seek out a mentor, in some cases, finding a mentor can be unintended.
Additionally, a mentor can provide help in areas you are unsure in and encourage you to think bigger. Valarie Khoo, Director of the Australian Writers’ Centre, stated, “I didn’t actually seek out a mentor at first. The mentor found me.” However she believes that having a mentor helped her think bigger and opened up a bigger vision. The biggest impact for her having a mentor was the impact on her mindset. Just like Valerie, Mandi Gunsberger of online retailer Babyology, sought a mentor to help her think bigger, and to discover “how to come up with a future plan for the business on where I wanted to be one, three and five years into the future.” On the other hand, Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey and one of the four co-founders for Sneaking Duck, sought a mentor to help with various areas such as managing growth, creating an architecture for culture, considering funding, better understanding of customers and improving data analysis. Penny Spencer, who started Spencer Travel, sought out a mentor because she “wanted to meet like-minded people and network with other small business owners.” Lisa Messenger of The Messenger Group, has had many mentors and seeks mentors that are “specialists in various areas”.
The HerBusiness is an advocate of mentoring as a vehicle for business growth.
Our award-winning MentorNet Small Business Mentoring Program has been designed for business owners in their first five years, although business owners in the planning stage of a start up will be considered for the program. The MentorNet Program covers essential business training modules: Finance, Marketing and Sales, Technology and Business Tools and Business Performance. Mentorees can also elect to participate in one-on-one mentoring sessions with experienced mentors.
The next MentorNet Program starts on 25 September.
If you’re interested in our next MentorNet Program, more information is available on the HerBusiness website. Member discounts apply.
