By Rhonda Campbell
Mentoring Programs Picture by Manujoy at
Food Network host a television show called Restaurant Impossible starring chef, Robert Irving; his role on the show is to offer mentoring and coaching to restaurant owners. On Robert’s mentoring/restaurant renovation team, is a construction worker and an interior designer. Some of the restaurants on Restaurant Impossible are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. It’s easy to see why the owners are scared that they’ll have to close their doors for good, even after all the hard work they put into their restaurants.
Advantages of Working with a Business Mentor
Robert Irvine doesn’t save all the restaurants. The best mentoring program in the world might not rescue everyone. But Robert Irvine does help many of the restaurants survive. How does he do it? He takes a close examination of the restaurant, its decor, cooking, marketing, overall service and financial management. Then he asks the owners what they want, to share their business goals with him. After that, he rolls up his sleeves, and, using his years of restaurant experience and knowledge, identifies four to five key changes required at the restaurant to make it a successful business. It’s amazing what he does with a $10,000 budget.
Colors are added to drab areas. Old floors are broken apart, replacing them with flooring that’s packed with personality. But, most of all the restaurants’ owners evolve, thanks to a bit of mentoring and coaching. I’m often surprised as I watch the show, seeing how people with so much invested in a business (i.e. money, time, effort) miss the obvious until a business mentor points it out to them.
Although Robert Irvine’s approach is aggressive, not shy in the least, his efforts to improve someone else’s business are similar to those put forth by effective business mentors operating in other industries. Key differences between a television show and real life are that it generally takes longer for a business mentor to generate significant change, especially if the person they’re mentoring is resistant to change. But the effort, especially when it yields positive results, is worth it.
Additionally, even if you’ve been operating a business for years, you might benefit from finding a mentor to work with. Although not a life coach, a good business mentor can tell you when you’re making decisions that are taking you away from, or closer to, your business goals.
Working with the right mentor is rarely, if ever, a negative. After all, there’s someone in your industry or field who knows something that you don’t, who has had management, marketing, product development and team building experiences that allow her to see your business operations from a different angle. For instance, business mentors can see industry trends, market shifts and economic changes that will impact your business, changes you might be missing.
Signs It’s Time to Start Finding a Mentor
Following are some ways you could tell that it might be time to start finding a mentor:
- Clients complain to you (or your employees) about repetitive weaknesses in your business (i.e. response lag times, poor product delivery)
- You’ve started losing key clients to competitors and you don’t know why or how to get the clients back
- When you attend large industry events you’re confused about what keynote speakers are talking about (e.g. marketing strategies, technology)
- Your business hasn’t grown in a year or longer
- You feel stuck, as if you and your management team don’t know how to get your company to the next level.
- New business ideas haven’t been surfacing in your mind the way they once did, and you’re starting to feel frustrated and discouraged with your company’s progress
- Top employees are walking out the door despite offers of pay increases
- Your business is losing money and you don’t see a way to turn the financial situation around
In addition to helping you stay on track until your business starts generating healthy cash flows, effective business mentors will encourage you during slow sales periods, inform you about career mentoring programs and industry events (i.e. conferences, seminars, conventions) you could attend. Good business mentors can also share their personal stories of struggle with you, challenges they overcame as they continued to grow their bottom lines. Equally important, effective mentors can connect you with industry leaders who could help take your business to the next level.
Sources:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurant-impossible/index.html (Food Network: Restaurant Impossible)
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