The Difference Between a Business Coach and a Business Mentor

Do you know the difference between a business mentor and a business coach?

It is easy to get them confused or to think they are the same thing as the differences can seem too subtle to distinguish by many.

 

A mentor is someone who has been successful in their own
business and can give you a blueprint of how they did it.  They teach you what you need to know if you are just starting a business.  A step one, step two approach.   When starting a new business, a mentor is a great person to have in your corner.  These people can help you build a business or get the one you have on solid ground.

 

Again, they give you a blueprint of what they have done to build their own successful business.

 

You pay for their advice, they give it and you can take it or leave it.  The concept is that is you follow their blueprint you too will be successful in your business.  It does work.

 

When you are ready to move your business to something that
is truly your own with your brand on it, a coach may be just what you need.

 

A coach can help you take your established business to a
different level, help you make the business your own; help you personalize your business so it is truly you.  Coaches help
you in so many ways: emotionally, spiritually, and even with your processes.  Coaches are focused on your performance in
business and understand the holistic approach brings more personalized results, which is generally what you are looking for when hiring a coach.

 

Many people start with a business mentor and move to a coach
when they feel their business is solid and want to move to the next level.

 

The important part is that partnering with someone is more
helpful than going it alone.  Everyone can use guidance at one time or another in their business.

 

Most successful people will tell you that the years spent in
corporate America have not prepared them for their internet business.

 

There is no need for all of us to be pioneers when it comes
to having our own business.  Learn from others.

How Do You Make Decisions? Out of Faith or Fear?

Are you a slave to your job?  A slave to “the system?”  A slave to money and happiness?  Have you been looking for it in all the wrong places?  Do your friends call you the “Drama Queen?”

Are you suffering with work addiction?  Are you working 60
hours a week for your own company but not feeling any more fulfilled than you
were when you worked for corporate America?

Are you in need of an intervention?

ANY leap is full of fear, no matter how good the leap could be to your life.

So, how can you start?

1. Start by Being Honest

You take action because you have a level of confidence that it will work out. There is always some fear mixed in because leaps don’t come with guarantees that it will work out perfectly.  When you are doing something you feel you just have to do instead of something you desire, you are on the right track.

2.    Let Your Desire Drive You

Make decisions out of a desire for change, not out of a desperate need. You don’t want that need to be clouding your judgment. You want clear purposeful goals in mind.

3.    Monitor Your Motive

Feel what you heart is saying when you think about this decision?  Do you have a burning desire to take the leap?  Is it a pressing need that is driving your leap? Do you have confidence?  If not, this leap is out of fear and may not be a good idea.

If you are thinking clearly, you can envision the benefits you want. The desire in your heart will drive your leap and give you the confidence to take it because you will know what you want.

If you are feeling desperate, you are taking a leap in fear.   Stop and rethink the decision to leap.  Go back to step one.

When you have a pressing need that makes you worry, it is difficult to think clearly.  My advice, make decisions to leap when you know your motive is right and you’re doing it with a clear, achievable objective.

The Uncomfort Zone that Helps You Get Comfortable

For success  to be ours, we must sometimes get out of our comfort zone.  It is easy to hide  behind a computer when you have an internet business.  You may be able to obtain more business if
you do one small thing out of your comfort zone that may mean you are temporarily  uncomfortable with the first few times.

 

Challenging yourself and your beliefs can be very scary.  Whenever we go through something out of our comfort zone, for the first time, we all feel the same feelings.  That queasiness in the stomach, the nervousness  when we talk in front of a group, the feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.    We find it hard to let go of those feelings.

 

Yes, leaving the comfort zone can be very …well, uncomfortable.  Moving to a place that you are unfamiliar with can be an unsettling experience.

 

So, how do you break out of your comfort zone? Just like all the other challenges you have encountered and overcome.  By doing it!  Sometimes, it helps to start off small.  Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can
happen?”

 

If, for instance, you want to do public speaking, try reading out loud to a tape recorder.  Try videotaping yourself so you have a starting point.  It is okay to not like what you see at first.  The important
part of the exercise is to do it, not criticize it.  You can ask for feedback from friends that will be gentle but honest in their evaluation.  You can also imagine yourself doing the thing
you are most afraid of.  Pretend.  We all forget that pretending is an option open to us.

 

Our imagination can run wild when all we really need is to try
something new once or twice to make it less scary and more easily achievable in our own minds.

Remember, how we didn’t think we could be a business owner?  Now, we are one.

Think about this.  You are already a business person so I can only believe that you have overcome a lot of obstacles in the past.  You need to give yourself credit for the things you have done. You  have had successes.  You have done things that feel very “unnatural” to you but because you have continued to do them,
they become a part of you and your success.

 

Seek out others that are doing what you want to achieve.  Asking someone for help may be the nicest compliment you could give someone.   Isn’t that a great way to find friends?

Most everyone will help someone else achieve their goal or help them get started. It is how we keep going and giving as entrepreneurs.  Someday, you will be able to help someone
else.

There’s lots of free information out there for everyone.  Check out any business blog/website/magazine.  Use the information to your advantage or reach out to the owner/editor and ask for
advice.

Blogs are a great place to start.  All advice is good if you can use it to help meet your goals.