I get this question often: How do I find the right business mentor?
My answer usually starts the same way—that depends. Do you want a good mentor, or do you want someone who tells you what you want to hear?
Of course, most people say they want a good mentor. In reality, many want validation. Being a good business mentor goes beyond delivering hard truths; it’s grounded in real experience, thoughtful perspective, and practical guidance.
Below are six key factors to consider when selecting a business mentor. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will help you quickly identify scammers, grifters, con artists, and well-meaning individuals who genuinely want to help but don’t fully understand how business works.
1. They Run a Real Business Selling Products or Services
A good mentor has built a business that sells actual products or services used by everyday people—not just courses, coaching packages, or vague “make more money” offers.
Start paying close attention to how a potential mentor makes their money. If their entire business model revolves around teaching others how to sell information, you need to ask if they’ve actually run a business before across all areas: operations, marketing, sales, fulfillment, and customer service. Or if they’re teaching others how to create revenue streams.
Don’t be distracted by social media content, YouTube videos, or lifestyle marketing. Ask yourself: What do they actually sell, who’s buying it, and why?
2. Experience Building a Business from the Ground Up
There is a big difference between corporate experience and building a business from scratch. Both have value, but a mentor who has built a company with little to no funding, creating systems, learning sales and marketing firsthand, and wearing every hat brings a very different perspective.
Entrepreneurs who don’t have access to large budgets or teams need mentors who understand how to grow creatively and strategically. When you can’t rely on funding, loans, or departments to solve problems, you learn how to make smart decisions quickly and efficiently. That kind of experience is invaluable.
I’ve worked with many entrepreneurs who felt mismatched with their mentors because the advice often came down to the same points: get a loan, apply for grants, adjust financial projections, or don’t start at all. While financial planning is important, loans and grants aren’t the only way to fund a business.
There are ways to start a business with little to no money: starting small, saving, selling unused items, leveraging existing skills, or generating income to fund the business gradually. A mentor who has lived this reality can guide you through it. A mentor who has always had corporate backing often cannot.
3. They’re Practical, not Chasing Trends or Get-Rich-Quick Business Ideas
Pay attention to whether a mentor’s advice is grounded in fundamentals or driven by trends.
Anyone obsessed with the latest “hot” business model, viral strategy, or overnight success story is likely following groupthink. Business success rarely comes from chasing what everyone else is doing; it comes from disciplined execution and sound decision-making.
A good mentor helps you build something sustainable, not flashy.
4. They Value Proven, Traditional Business Strategies
With all the hype around AI, tech, social media, and digital marketing, you need a mentor who stays level-headed.
Old-school business principles work because they’ve been tested over decades: understanding your customer, positioning your offer, pricing correctly, managing cash flow, building relationships, and direct outreach. New strategies can be useful, but many are based on limited data, short timeframes, or hype rather than repeatable results.
A good mentor knows how to balance innovation with fundamentals.
5. They Can Recommend Reliable Business Resources
A good mentor reads and recommends reading.
They should be able to point you toward solid business books, industry publications, and articles that go far beyond YouTube videos or social media posts. Their perspective should be informed by multiple schools of thought and real-world experience.
You want a mentor who values learning, not shortcuts. Education matters, and it shouldn’t be limited to what’s trending online.
6. They’re Not Trying to Sell You Anything
At their core, true mentors are givers. If someone has built a successful business selling products or services, they don’t need to sell you advice to generate income.
Many experienced business owners want to mentor because they know how difficult the journey is, and want others to learn from their mistakes. Be cautious of mentors who justify charging for advice with phrases like “I know my worth.”
Experienced business owners know their worth, and they earn it through their businesses. As a general rule, if you can’t clearly identify what the product is, you are probably the product.
Choosing the right business mentor can shape the course of your business. Look for experience, practicality, honesty, and generosity; not hype, trends, or shortcuts. A good mentor won’t promise overnight success, but they will help you build something real, sustainable, and aligned with your goals.
And that’s the kind of guidance worth listening to.
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