"How Start-ups can find Mentors for guidance?" 

BY RAJ KUMAR GUPTA 

“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” – Mark Zuckerberg

Start-ups are a passion for many. Many of the young teenagers and apprentices have a great devotion to it. Many start-ups find themselves desperate for the right guidance and navigation. They are always in quest of a right mentor. Having a clear business idea, clear goals, a business plan, legal structure, funding, a talented team, technology exposure, etc. are the fundamentals required for start-ups. The need to scale up their marketing skills, trading skills, communication skills, knowledge of the niche, the way to handle customers, their likes and dislikes, stock market, expertise in their field, etc. are equally important. The urgency to learn the art of selling anything to a customer is highly recommended in this competitive era. Choosing the right trademark, logo, having a patent for the innovative idea, Copyright, etc. are very important. A student can learn much more with the help of a teacher or a mentor. The crucial factor on which the scalability of a start-up depends is the right guidance from the right mentor. You will get guidance from many people but a true one won’t waste your precious time since he is much concerned for you. Here are the most practical and recommended ways to find the right mentor.

1)Don’t pick one mentor, pick many mentors. 

If you feel that you can do everything then it is your biggest mistake. In chapter 6, verse 12 and 13, Shree Krishna says, ”Seated firmly on it, the yogi should strive to purify the mind by focusing it in meditation with one pointed concentration, controlling all thoughts and activities. He must hold the body, neck, and head firmly in a straight line, and gaze at the tip of the nose, without allowing the eyes to wander.” During interviews of the most famous businessmen, they all quoted for the focus. You have to scale up your business. You need separate mentors for each and every start-ups’ requirements. The above mentioned skills can never be done by a single person. You will hire employees for different tasks. Similarly, one person can never guide you for all of your requirements and fundamentals. You learn from every person, so don’t be in the misconception that your trade mentor can educate you along with the marketing, branding or any other valuable skill. Meet those people who are well-versed in one niche. Value them. Expand your network. Attend webinars, workshops, and seminars. Create an engaging community of mentors on Linked In, WhatsApp, Facebook etc.

2)Don’t become Elon Musk 

Let me share a story. This is my own personal story. Just remember that I am a good poet too. Once my English teacher told me to publish my poems in a book. Now I searched for it everywhere on Google, YouTube, Reddit, on Linked In. But I could not find the complete procedure. I thought to follow prominent writers like Chetan Bhagat, Ruskin Bond, Arvind Adiga, Cal Newport, etc. I discussed it with my teacher. She said to me, “Raj Kumar, you should first check for those writers or poets who are of your age, similar to your knowledge and interests.” It hit my mind and I realized that the writers I mentioned are at a global level. I am just a mediocre. So, having a mentor or a guide similar to you in your age and interests can guide you much better. If you feel like following the ideologies of Elon Musk or Steve Jobs and implementing them directly in your start-ups would work for you, then you are wrong. You will never understand their ideologies, or their lessons, because they are many ways out of your reach. Indeed you must follow that person who shares similar interests and who has already faced those challenges. He can be of your age no matter what.

3)Don’t focus on experiences 

Sahitya Academy award-winning Tamil writer Ashokamitran wrote in his book “My Years with Boss” about many persons, especially Kothamangalam Subbu and the Office Boy. Kothamangalam Subbu was an illiterate Brahmin who joined the Gemini Studios and was ranked no. 2 in the studio. The office boy, the makeup artist was very much jealous of Subbu. The office boy was very much literate with many degrees. He wished to be the director but he was a make-up artist. He was not at all a creative person and was always annoyed by everyone. On the contradiction, Subbu was very creative and when asked to do any work, he would suggest many ways to do the same thing. He was amiable, a storyteller, and thought differently. He was a more respected person in the studio than the office boy. Subbu also wrote a novel “Thillana Mohanambal” and was awarded Padma Shri. My main motive to share this story is that you should find people or mentors of different ideologies. They can be illiterate that doesn’t matter. But they can tell so many things about the particular domains of start-ups. A well-versed marketer can make you aware of the market much more than an experienced businessman. 

At last, I would conclude by saying that, these are the three major steps to take and to be kept in mind, to scale up a start-up