Finding the right mentor for you!

Last week I was telling you my story of how I had barely started my new business before I fell at the first hurdle - getting clients!

So this is when I realised that nothing was going to happen unless I made it happen.

That’s life actually - we think things happen to us, when in fact we happen to life.

We have it back to front.

So having made this great discovery that instead of continuing to wait for customers to miraculously appear I had to actually do something about it - that is what I did!

So I searched for a mentor

I searched high and low and I found someone who could help me. I found someone who was teaching a system to build a dog training school. Someone who’d worked out all the pitfalls, the tricks, the techniques - what worked - and I signed up with them.

Sure enough, I followed the training, I did what they said and BINGO! It worked! I was in business! Actually having steps to follow. templates to adapt, systems that had been tried and tested, made all the difference.

Do you think that would make a difference to you too, having steps to follow?

My hand was being held as I was led through this strange world of setting up my own business, and it all became easy - or easier - you always have to work at it …

Don’t think you can set it and forget it!

Your creative input is always needed at every stage.

I was not an impostor!

Now not only was I able to open my dog school - my long-held dream of working with dogs became a reality! But I realised that I was not an impostor! there was nothing wrong with me. The only problem was that I didn’t have certain key things in place.

I see this all the time - someone has a great idea - they pursue this passion with enthusiasm and joy - and they want to do it all the time … whyever not?

And it’s only when they get going with it, or attempt to get going, that they realise that a framework for their passion needs to be in place.

Do you want to pursue your passion? Then you should!

If you’re to operate on a profit - not millions, but making sure you’re earning a reasonable living for your services - you have to have a framework to sit those services in.

You have to learn how to run your passion as a business - and this may be entirely new territory for you! 

You started out wanting to follow your heart. You didn’t start out wanting to run a business! But the fact is that’s exactly what you have to do. You have to have the business skills in order to get it all running smoothly.

In my case it was a dog training school I wanted to start. You may have another joy project in mind.

Do you have a joy project in mind?

Do tell me about it!

But whatever it is you need the systems to make it work!

You need to know how to keep track of everything, how to know whether you’re actually keeping within the law, turning a profit, covering your expenses, and you don’t need to be doubting yourself!

Who on earth is that going to help?

Not you!

Not your customers!

Not the people or the animals you want to help.

In fact, the less efficient you are at this, the fewer people you’ll be able to help! Think on that. All those dogs you want to help as a dog trainer, not getting the delights of your force-free training.

All those customers for your physical product or your caring service - none of them will get what you can offer if you can’t make the business side work! It may be annoying - but it’s a fact!

You worked hard for your dog training qualifications or whatever learning you needed to support your idea.

You learned loads.

Now you’re turning that hobby into a business you need the skills to go with it! You don’t try to learn to cook without a cookery book or a tv program to follow.

Hmm - there would be some sorry messes!

And why try? It’s easy to learn from someone who’s already done it. You don’t need to re-invent the wheel yourself!

You don’t have to do it alone.