The first impression is always the most important, for everything in life. When it comes to connecting with your new mentorship partner, the beginning can make all the difference. Sometimes, a bad first meeting can put the vibe off and cause irreparable damage, so it’s always important to stay aware and have a smooth transition as you get acquainted.
A mentor is someone you can relate to and who can help you achieve your goals. If you’re a founder or someone thinking about starting a business, it can be tough to reach out to your mentor for the first time because you don’t know what the mentorship program will bring, or you feel nervous about getting started.
Here’s a blog that will help you understand what you should expect and how the first meeting can help you build a great relationship with your growth mentor.
6 Tips to Help You With the First Meeting With Your Mentor
You’ve got a lot of questions to ask, and you may even have a plan or some notes that will make it easier for both of you to understand the purpose better. But how to get started?Â
Here are some tips that might help make your first meeting with a Tech Mentor fun, enjoyable and successful:
1. Prepare Yourself MentallyÂ
Let’s face it; it can feel a bit awkward when you first start with a new mentor. After all, you may never have had someone watch over your progress and give feedback on such a regular basis. You may be worried your mentor will look down on you, but accept that they are there to help.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations that will disappoint you. Take baby steps and connect with them frequently. They will know where you’re at and how to help you catch up, so don’t worry and trust their expertise.
2. Know Them Well
If you’re just starting in your industry and are looking for a mentor to help you achieve your goals and make your business profitable, the first thing you should do is learn as much as you can about what they do and how they do it.
Having a solid foundation of knowledge and experience will help you better understand the mentor’s strengths and what you can expect from them.
Here’s how you can know about them:
- You can learn about them through the website you have enrolled in the mentorship program.
- Visit their social network profile and study the content they have shared. If you discover posts that seem to be related to your business or what you need help with, this may indicate that they are experts in those areas.
- Check if they’ve written any books during or about their startup journey. It will give a deeper insight into their way of thinking.
3. Prepare a Plan.
Set an agenda to discuss with your mentor. This will help them guide you and create a learning path for your success. Discuss the topics you’re good at and the issues you want to focus on. This way, you’ll develop a strong bond with them.
Let’s take an example. You can create two sections:
What went well in your business?
- Done with building a user-friendly website
- Attracting customers through ads.
Issues you need help with:
- How to use technology in the marketing area?
- How to make business more profitable?
- How to hire and handle a tech team?
4. Discuss Expectations
It can be hard to know what to expect from a mentor meeting, so it’s always best to be prepared. It helps to work out some questions beforehand, especially if you are nervous. This way, the process will run smoothly, making things much more comfortable for you.
For instance, you can share with them how you hope they will benefit you in understanding digital marketing strategies or how they can help your company grow both online and offline.
The conversation should never be one-way. Ask them what their expectations are from you and how you might work together to achieve a common goal.
5. Share Your Struggles and Ask About Their Journey
Share your struggles with your tech mentor and listen to their story. They will have a unique perspective and maybe an idea or two on what to do.
There are times when you’ve already got a plan for growing your business, but things aren’t going as smoothly as you’d expected. Perhaps it’s hard to grow your business and get the word out there.
Handling such issues is not easy, especially when technological obstacles are in the way. You need to have a mentor who will help you bridge this gap by accessing new ideas that might otherwise seem untenable.
While you can easily share what you’re doing or how your business is going, it’s also good to ask mentors about their journeys.
You can add a few questions to your list:
- Did you have the mentor you wanted? If not, what did you wish your mentor were like?
- Did you ever get a chance to be part of a startup? How was your experience?
- How do you deal with self-esteem issues? I struggle with this, and it hampers my decisions at times. Can you suggest something to improve?
6. Allow Some Time to Get Along
It is essential to understand that your mentor will not answer all your questions in one call. A mentorship call lasts 30 – 60 minutes. It’s not enough time to “fix everything,” – so don’t expect a full-blown solution in one session. Try scheduling several calls to cover different areas you need help with.
Plan with them about how you will achieve your goals. The most important thing is to set a deadline. Though it can be difficult to put a proper deadline for a startup, a mentor will guide you towards the desired results.
For example, you are struggling to build your online presence. Knowing about the algorithms for popular social media platforms from experienced mentors can help you solve this issue. If you follow their steps, you will start noticing results in just six months. All you need is some determination and dedication to go along with it.
Are You Ready to Take the First Step?
There must be someone in your life whom you trust, who understands what you are dealing with and who can help you achieve your goals. CodeQuotient enables you to find the right mentor to grow your business.
CodeQuotient’s programs are designed to help founders convert their goals and ambitions into reality. To help make their targets achievable. The great thing about their learning resources is that they are inexpensive or free to help you stay on top of your game to continue and evolve as a founder.
So, take your first step today and connect with a tech mentor to shine and soar in the market. You can also email us to get more information about the programs.
