Nurturing an Entrepreneur: My Mentoring Experience

In celebration of National Volunteer week happening from April 6 – 12, 2014, CYBF is celebrating mentors’ valuable contribution to young entrepreneurial success!

Here’s what Ellis Orlan of SF Partnership LLP had to say about her mentoring experience.

Over the past three and a half years, I have had the pleasure of assisting my mentees with goal setting and understanding what it means to be an entrepreneur. I have helped them navigate through entrepreneurial challenges and identify how they can improve their abilities, while remaining focused on the task at hand with the reminder that being driven is part of both their personal and business success. While providing general guidance along the way, I have gotten to know my mentees as individuals, and their strengths and weaknesses.

As entrepreneurs become more confident over time in their businesses, the mentoring becomes more focused, evolving from more personal mentoring early on to more business-focused mentoring as the particular venture matures.  Further, as the business matures, the mentoring reverts to the personal as the entrepreneur needs to become a leader.  I have also found that as the business grows, the individuals need to be corporate leaders versus entrepreneurs – this is not always an easy personal transition.  I have (and continue to) relish the challenge of working with my mentees to these ends and have gained much satisfaction in being part of and witnessing this transformation while concurrently achieving ultimate personal and business success.

I have truly enjoyed my time as a mentor through CYBF’s mentoring program and have found it to be both a personally and professionally rewarding experience.

Show Your Mentor Appreciation on Twitter!

Show your mentor how much you appreciate their time and dedication by joining us on Twitter on April 7^th, 2014 from 1pm – 3pm. Use the hashtag #WeHeartMentors and be sure to tag your mentor!