REGINA BVUDZIJENA
If you have been following this column, by this time you have gone through ideation and have already come up with a sustainable project idea that addresses a real need. Over the last three weeks I have also walked you through on how to build a prototype and how to build traction.
The entrepreneurship journey requires patience and persistence. But more importantly as someone who is starting you need the right support and network around you. Many start-up founders make the mistake of pursuing their ideas alone without sharing their intentions with anyone.
As a result they find the going tough and quit! Such entrepreneurs also waste resources as they will not have tested their ideas or refined their approach in anyway prior to choosing a path.
As we indicated in previous articles, one of the most important stages for any start-up is building that much needed traction where your product can stand on its own and be counted.
We covered this last week but I felt that we needed to cover more ground on it as it is such an important stage for any start-up.
In my experience as Tech Hub community manager, I meet a lot of start-ups who have been in existence for 3 or more years but are yet to catch the big break. When I ask them why they are not moving forward, they often indicate the following:
1) I am still trying to find the right way to approach the market.
2) My product is not ready yet
3) I have decided the way I was doing it was wrong
4) The market does not understand my product
5) The market is not big enough yet
6) I don’t have money to take my idea to the next stage
7) I have no office to operate from
8) There is too much competition
9) I am failing to find markets for my product
I could go on and on about the answers I get. What is clear from all these answers is that there is something missing. The big word is “Mentorship” or “Coaching”. Many entrepreneurs are failing to move forward because they are trying to fix things on their own in the best way they know without being assisted by mentors or people who have gone down the path, their current path.
This is the biggest mistake that many entrepreneurs are making.
It’s not their fault really! Mentors are elusive and difficult to locate if you are not sure what to look for and where to find them.
In fact there are many questions that most start-up founders ask. Like, how can I get a mentor? What qualities should I look for in a mentor? Can I trust my mentor? Will they not steal my idea?
Fortunately mentors are everywhere, locally and internationally. The decision you must make as an entrepreneur is “I need a mentor” and decide what qualities you are looking for in a mentor. Few mentors make the habit of identifying people who can use mentorship and start mentoring them. I have spoken to a number of mentors from church, retired businessmen and women and they all say that they love mentoring and helping entrepreneurs who want to be helped. So the decision is yours to be mentored or not.
Today I will share with you some of the best qualities of mentors and give you an idea of where you can find one. In more developed start-up ecosystems mentors are everywhere and can be found online through mentor websites.
In Zimbabwe, our ecosystem is still developing and so it can be hard to find mentors, but there are thou sands of them too! Look around you and you will be surprised at what they can do for you.
Study the person you want to be and try and figure out how they got there. Most successful business people have an online presence either of Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Study them and their projects, when you feel you know their projects well enough it is time to approach them.
When you first approach a potential mentor never ask them to be your mentor during the first encounter. Allow the mentor to get to know you a bit and more importantly learn as much as you can about them. After your first meeting evaluate the encounter and decide whether they are someone you would be ready to listen to and work with for a long time.
Mentorship is never a one day affair. Remember as you grow you will need the mentor to guide you through challenges and decision points in your journey as an entrepreneur. Your mentor needs to be someone you can trust to look out for. Never make the mistake of rushing your mentorship. Let your relationship evolve.
Most mentors want to feel good about contributing to your success. If they are being honest with themselves, most successful mentors didn’t get where they are on their own, someone also mentored them and guided them to where they are. They want to return that favour by making a difference to someone else too. To find mentors attend events, and follow the people you want to learn from on social media. As Tech Hub we have a number of mentors who are willing to meet you and provide mentorship too.
Through our platform at http:// www.cowork.co.zw you can be connected to the right mentor and grow.
If you need to find out more information on how to grow your idea into a business do not hesitate to contact me at rbvudzijena@brieftechonline.com
