When people ask Kristi Porter for business advice, she first tells them to find a mentor.
But thats not the case.
Mentors can be a support system offering guidance on overcoming the hurdles preventing your business from improving.
Kristi Porter works from home in Atlanta, GA, on November 21, 2018. Carmen Mandato/ The Penny Hoarder
Its just great knowing that youre not doing it alone, she says.
Having outside perspectives and voices help[s] you get through the good and bad times.
To find out, we ask some experts what to do when finding a mentor.
Full-Time Remote Worker?
Make Yourself Visible
Not reporting to a central office can makefinding a mentorseem impossible.
Thats why Brie Reynolds, senior career specialists at FlexJobs, encourages remote workers to be asvisible as possible.
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Those people may develop into potential mentors or point you toward someone whos a better fit.
When the Atlanta-based nonprofit Plywood People introduced its new community manager, Porter seized the opportunity.
She asked if the manager knew anyone with expertise in running an online business.
The recommended person ended up becoming a mentor to Porter.
Over their yearlong mentor-mentee relationship, Porter learned the technical side of setting up an online business.
This time she wanted to seek out business groups featuring people going through similar situations.
Now she attends networking events aimed at helping female entrepreneurs and freelancers from different industries.
It was at these networking events she found one of her mentors, an attorney.
Try lateral relationships to start.
Porter says accountability partners or mentor groups are peers who are in the trenches with you.
Her accountability partners background is in selling physical products online, but Porters is in service-based business.
They can be done in person or with email chains and instant messaging threads.
She says, It really just depends on what you are all comfortable working on.
How Do You Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor?
It doesnt have to be something incredibly formal.
Porter recalls they both hit it off so well that she decided to be bold and ask.
When Porters mentor opened the email, she was flattered.
She thought, Yeah, this is something I can do.
I like you and want to see you succeed, Porter remembers.
But if a potential mentor isnt willing to take you under their wing, dont worry.
Porter tells freelancers and entrepreneurs to be patient when searching for the right person.
Matt Reinstetle is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
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