Every businessman or businesswoman needs a mentor. A mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser, typically someone who is older than you and has more skill and expertise than you. The role of a mentor is for them to pass down their knowledge so you can be great like them.  

As a young entrepreneur, finding a mentor may be difficult. Provided below are some recommendations and resources for finding the right mentor for you in your business.  

Attend meetup groups for networking

We’ve all heard the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” As an entrepreneur, it is very important to expand your connections and pursue business relationships. Networking relationships can become mentor relationships. Some sites that are helpful for expanding your networking are Meetup, Jobcase, and LinkedIn.  

Stay in-the-know about job fairs 

Career fairs are not only a great place to get hired, but to meet mentors. Meeting experienced businessmen and women at career fairs expands your contact list for people you might want to learn and receive advice from. The websites www.careerfairs.com, www.corporategray.com, and www.diversityjobfairs.com, are great online resources for finding job fairs. Find events happening near you and attend one at a time that is good for you.  

Join a professional association

One of the greatest ways to determine who you want your mentor to be is to look at someone who behaves and performs how you want to behave or perform. Joining a professional association like CareerOneStop will connect you with like-minded business people. Mentors often begin as friends. Professional associations exist to further particular industries or professions. You could even join the association for entrepreneurship if you have not done so already! 

Men and women have gone before you to create and build all of the business we interact with today. Take advantage of their skill sets and learn from them. Find a mentor, they exist to help and lead you. And maybe someday, you can mentor someone who wants to learn from you!