Take advantage of asking a professional about your business plan
E-Spirit is a sixteen-week business planning competition where registered teams will have the benefit of contacting a professional familiar with Aboriginal business. Our goal is for you to gain an understanding of the types of businesses operated by Aboriginal people across the country, as well as provide expertise and answers to problem areas of your business plan.
Ask your question
Questions and answers
How can we benefit from having a mentor?
Mentoring goes beyond what we normally learn in schools as mentors provide special insight, understanding and information that are outside the normal channels or educational programs. In this regard, we hope that a mentor will help bring about a real world understanding of entrepreneurship and the importance of the Internet as a business tool.
The following checklist is a helpful rundown of what mentors are all about.
- Raise the bar in terms of expectations
- Offer challenging ideas
- Help build self-confidence
- Encourage professional behaviour
- Are responsive in critical times
Teach by example:
- Provide growth/learning experiences
- Explain how things, organizations and processes work
- Support their mentees in healthy risk taking
- Offer wise counsel
- Trigger self-awareness
- Offer encouragement
- Coach
- Inspire
- Offer friendship
What kinds of questions should we ask our mentor?
Technical or business specific questions:
- "We have a seasonal business... What could we do on our off season to make money?"
- "I require your assistance with my seasonal budget. I don't understand how to budget for my off season."
Ask your mentor to share some personal experiences and motivations as an entrepreneur:
- "How long have you been in business?"
- "Why did you decide to start your own business?"
- "How old were you when you made this decision?"
- "Were you scared?"
Internet as a business tool:
- "Do you use a website for your business and how do you track your visitors? What works best for you?"
- "What is the one thing I should remember when I'm setting up my business website?"
- "Does your website attract international trade?"
Ask for assistance with ideas or solutions.
Remember to thank your mentor. Respect and appreciate the time your mentor has taken to participate in this initiative.