Your Four Career Boosters
Building a strong support system for your small business plays a critical role in reaching your goals. Being an entrepreneur can get lonely (especially when our peers are the competition)! Proactively finding the right people, with diverse perspectives and skill sets, to put in your “corner” helps take your business to the next level.
How do we do this?
Build a Board of Directors!
Every corporation in the world has a board of directors that bring together minds across diverse backgrounds, industries and perspectives. Your small business should be no different. At a minimum, you should surround yourself with these four roles to keep your business on track.
Here’s the people you need sitting at your “table.”
If you don’t have all four, start building relationships today!
1) Mentor
Definition: an experienced or trusted advisor
If you’re building your first business, it’s hard to know what you should be focusing on and ensure you’re doing everything legally. Ideally, you’ll find someone in your own industry who has already gone through exactly what you’re going through and built a successful company. This person should be able to answer industry-specific questions you may have, help you find the direction and next steps, and be willing to train and develop the skills you need to be successful.
2) Sponsor
Definition: someone who invests their political capital in you (e.g. their influence).
A sponsor is a more transactional role. These are the people who are above your pay grade or hold politcal and social power. They can help influence decisions in your favor. Some examples could be city officials, president of the Chamber of Commerce, or executives at a firm.
Sponsors don’t invest time in you. Instead, they trust in your vision and help you along your journey.
But this means you have to deliver!
3) Advocate
Definition: members of your network's inner circle.
An advocate is the person who will spread the word for your business to others, even when you’re not around. This person does not need to be industry-specific, but can be colleagues, peers, or even people in leadership positions within a company, city, chamber of commerce, or other influential roles. While a sponsor will flex their political capital, an advocate will be closer to disciples, spreading the world and getting others to care about your business too. This person should be able to help you in the community even when you’re not around and get others to care and believe in your business too.
4) Mentee
Definition: someone who is helped by a mentor.
Become a Career Booster for someone else!
Just as important as finding someone who is further along in the journey to help shape you, you should give back and help those who are in the beginning stages of their journey. Maybe that’s a peer or an employee!
Get started on finding those Career Boosters by building your own Board of Directors!
Reflect on your own business and think about the support system you have in place. Do you have any of the above roles filled or are you doing it all by yourself?
Who do you know that could act as a mentor for your business? What about a mentee?
Who will play the role of sponsor? Can you find a partner for your business or do you need to look outside your business for help?
Once you have the board of directors, either set up time individually on a monthly or quarterly basis, or bring all the parties together 1x per quarter. Don’t forget you’re the CEO of your business so remember to act like it occasionally.
Looking for a business coach? We’re here for you - acting as part mentor, advocate, & sponsor in one! Learn more here.