Even the Best Athletes Have Coaches
I have a friend who is a small business owner in a niche field. She is passionate about what she does, her clients rave about her, and I’ve never come across anyone who networks more effectively than she does.
The problem is, regular people don’t quite understand what she does, and as a result, she’s been missing out on selling services to an enormous potential customer base.
Enter her mentor, a person who knows nothing about this niche field, but everything about simple, direct marketing. As a result of his advice, my friend has changed the way she markets herself and she’s just won some big corporate clients who will more than help keep the lights on for another year.
A business mentor can be an incredibly valuable resource for a photography business. While photography industry expertise is helpful, anyone with successful small business experience can be a help. A good mentor can provide advice and support, a different perspective on your business, and help with goal setting and accountability.
Think about the people in your network and what you might learn from them. Your mentor might be a family member, a friend, or someone you met at an event. Start approaching people to see if they would mind spending an hour a month with you to talk about business. It’s likely they’ll be flattered and happy to help.
Remember, you’re asking for their time, so the least you can do is buy them a coffee and be organised about what you want to do with your time together. Before meeting, decide what you want to focus on and set out some goals. Refine your goals with your mentor and set deadlines. Meet regularly and show progress by following their advice, or if you disagree with that advice, have good grounds to challenge it.
Running a photography business is often solitary, and without a fresh point of view, it can become stagnant. A mentor can challenge you, and make sure your business is always evolving and improving.
[image align=”right” imageurl=”http://files.photomerchant.net/images/author-pili-foss.jpg”] Pilar Mitchell is PhotoMerchant’s Word Sourceress. When she’s not writing her blog, Cult of Clothes, Pili is a corporate advisor working with businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to stock-exchange-listed companies. She is fascinated by the evolution of small businesses and loves to combine her passion for writing with the opportunity to help entrepreneurs grow and learn.
