Having a mentor is immensely beneficial when you’re setting up shop or dipping your toes into entrepreneurial waters.
A mentor provides support and suggestions that can change the direction of your business, and help you safeguard yourself from errors early on in your venture.
For women entrepreneurs, who often set up their enterprises with little or no support, having a mentor can make all the difference required to make their venture successful.
Here are some benefits of women entrepreneurs having a mentor:
Helps them take risks
Many first-time woman entrepreneurs lack self-confidence and as a result, shy away from taking risks. This can prevent them from success early on in their career. A mentor can advise them about which risks to take in order to make big wins.
Shows them what is possible
When budding entrepreneurs are short on experience, a mentor can show them everything that’s possible. This can open avenues for women entrepreneurs to dream big and take their businesses to the next level.
Moral and emotional support
The entrepreneurial road can be a lonely one. A mentor doubles as a friend to women entrepreneurs and can provide them with moral and emotional support. Sometimes, all an entrepreneur needs is a friend who’s got their back after a long day.
Increasing network
Having a mentor who’s well-established in the field you're starting out in means getting a chance to utilize their existing network to expand yours. People are the greatest resources for entrepreneurs, especially new ones!
Increases exposure
Looking at people who’ve ‘been there, done that’ gives women entrepreneurs a chance to learn from another’s mistakes. Exposure early on can go a long way.
ANWA’s mentorship program for women entrepreneurs was started keeping in mind these facts.
To support its women, ANWA connected its Business Women’s Award winners of 2020 to a network of skilled and accomplished mentors, from a range of fields.
Each mentor interacted with a few mentees for a period of 10 weeks. This helped several women entrepreneurs gain the support they needed, to take one step closer to their dreams.
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