Discover as much as you are able to about the likely mentor and
attempt to schedule a brief interview by telephone saying you have a
few particular questions or simply generally wish to pick their brain.
You ought to travel to them and, particularly at first, make it as
simple for them to help you as you are able to. At the end of your
beginning interview, if it appears to have gone well, you may broach
the idea of speaking once again, whether by telephone or in person,
sometime in the time to come.
Over time, if they feel receptive, you may bring up the idea of a more
conventional mentoring relationship with more particular parameters
and goals.
Think about the rivalry - Well, not your direct rivalry. For instance, if
you're in retail selling windsocks, somebody selling kites isn't in
direct rivalry with you but may still have a few insights into the
outdoor product industry.
If you have a brick and mortar store, you may even call somebody
who does precisely what you do in a far away location, suppose you're
in New York City and they're in Arizona.
However the web is increasingly placing retailers even on different
continents in rivalry, so step lightly. A different hint would be to seek
out counsel from somebody at a business larger than yours who may
be less likely to view you as rivalry.
Tap your field - your suppliers, your local chamber of commerce, and
relevant trade publishings are great sources for likely mentors. These
are all great places to come by knowledgeable individuals, but how do