The subject of “mentors” for business owners has been coming up a lot lately.
Specifically, should you bother to pay for a coach, teacher, guide, or guru?
Especially when there’s so much free information out there. Can’t you just figure it out on your own?
Well, my own experience has been mixed, but I find myself coming down very strongly on the side of paying for guidance in areas where you need it. You’ll get where you want to go so much quicker.
For more about my journey and the great mentors I’ve found, watch the video:
I spent many years trying to cobble together bits of information I picked up on the internet. It didn’t really get me anywhere.
Maybe because I didn’t have the full map. Or maybe because I didn’t have someone cheering me on so I’d keep moving or pick myself up when I fell.
It was only when I found a program that taught me all the steps I needed to follow—and supported me with coaching and community along the way—that I finally started growing my business.
Since then I’ve found great guides for specific areas of my business. I’ve gotten my money back many times over from what I learned from each of them.
The only area where I simply couldn’t find a guide and had to figure it out on my own was how to get rid of the subconscious blocks to success that kept me and my clients stuck. In fact, I had to do that first before I could take advantage of what my great mentors had for me.
To be clear, I had teachers who showed me how to use different Emotional Freedom Techniques. (In case you’re new here, EFT, or “Tapping,” is the main way I clear my own and my clients’ blocks.)
But I had to figure out my own system using Tapping because no one else was doing it in a way that really worked for me.
The incomparable Rebecca Kane and I worked together, trying different approaches out and sharing techniques we picked up along the way to clear our own blocks to building our businesses. She taught me techniques I’d never heard of and let me try out and refine my strategies on her.
So if you have to figure something out on your own because it’s not already created, partner with someone with mad skills to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
But where you can, do yourself a favor and pay someone to take the short cuts they already know.
Of course, you have to pick the right guides for you. I’ve been very lucky, but I’ve heard horror stories about spending big money on programs that didn’t work out at all.
Before you jump in then, follow someone to get a feel for how they work. Get their freebies, newsletters, podcasts, or low-cost offerings before deciding to work with them. And listen to recommendations from people you respected.
Here are the mentors I’ve worked with for a loooooong time and highly recommend—
- Fabienne Fredrickson (Boldheart Business Program). You can find out more about the main program I joined to learn all things marketing and mindset at https://attraction.isrefer.com/go/bhbiz/a6181. Boldheart also has a “starter” program for those with a limited budget at: https://attraction.isrefer.com/go/bhblaunch/a6181. (Yes, those are affiliate links. If you visit Boldheart using them and eventually buy, I’ll get something. It won’t pay the rent though. None of the rest of the links here are affiliate links.)
- Nikki Rausch (Your Sales Maven). Nikki really is a sales maven who knows how to sell without being sleazy, slimy, or sales-y. She has some great freebies at https://yoursalesmaven.com/free/ . You can find out about the Sales Maven Society, which I belong to, at https://yoursalesmaven.com/society/.
- Stacey Brown Randall (Referrals Without Asking). Stacey teaches a beautiful approach to getting referrals that doesn’t make me feel like I need a shower when I use it. https://www.staceybrownrandall.com/ will get you some of her freebies. Definitely sign up for her newsletter to get her weekly podcasts. I have her Growth by Referrals program.
- Kiva Shuler (The Heartful Business). Kiva is spending her energy on her passion these days—getting great training to parenting coaches—but you can see some info about her marketing stuff at https://theheartfulbusiness.com/home.
- Alina Frank. Alina is an EFT/Tapping trainer extraordinaire. If you want to learn how to Tap, get on Alina’s newsletter at https://www.tapyourpower.net/. It comes out twice a month and tells you where her next trainings will be.
- Rebecca Kane. Rebecca teaches you how to trust your intuition. She is a psychic-medium who has an interesting way of making the spiritual/woowoo very accessible. And she has the best newsletters! Sign up at: https://www.capacityforgreatness.com/.
Hope that’s helpful.
Happy Tapping!
—Nancy
