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I was reading an old industry report and saw that 70% of small business owners who get a formal mentor stick with it for over five years.
Found that stat in a PDF from a local business development center, and it's making me seriously consider finally reaching out to a retired shop owner I know for advice, even though the idea of asking feels awkward.
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christopherwilson5mo ago
Whoa, hold on a second. That stat sounds way too high to be real. I looked into this a lot last year. Most studies show mentor relationships in business fizzle out much faster than that, like in a year or two. The PDF might be counting ANY check-in as "sticking with it," which is pretty misleading. You should still totally ask that shop owner though. Just don't feel bad if the talks don't last five whole years. That's normal.
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rowan1095mo ago
Oh man, I totally get that. I used to think the same way about those long term stats, they always felt fake. But then I saw how my friend's dad still calls his old boss for advice, like, decades later, just a quick coffee twice a year. And my own mentor from college, we don't talk every week, but I still email her with big questions. Maybe that's what they mean? It's not a weekly meeting for five years, but having that person you can still reach out to. It changed how I see it.
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the_jason4mo ago
Maybe it's just me but I feel like people overthink this whole mentor thing sometimes. It doesn't have to be this huge serious commitment, a quick email here and there still counts.
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