Why You Need a Business Mentor

The general perception about entrepreneurs is - they are individuals toiling away at their desks to create new products by "themselves", but seldom are the most successful businessmen, individual contributors or hustling singled-handed go-getters. The most common practice of business professionals who are new to the game or veterans like serial entrepreneurs spend a significant amount of time bouncing ideas off of colleagues, teammates, friends and family members.

More times than not, sustainable businesses are created by motivated and educated people that gain these traits through experience. This is where the mentors come in, whose insights help in impacting business practices, ethics and, eventually business success. They have lived through the journey and learning from their mistakes and successes, can impart some of the valuable lessons they have accumulated over the years.

The Value Add of Mentors

a) Knowledge: A mentor who has been in the industry for a while or are ideologically congruent to how you envisage to run your own enterprise can help with the business plans, budgeting tactics and even the day-to-day operations.

b) Objectivity: Mentors can give you an honest review of areas in your business that need improvement, as well as point out the areas that are doing well. So you need a mentor who is honest with you and who knows how to offer constructive criticism.

c) Discipline: A business mentor on the trek ensures accountability in goals and re-circling to check-in how well are we aligned or digressed in the process. A strong work ethic and a drive to succeed can make or break an entrepreneur.

d) Network: Although knowledge plays a significant factor in the success of a business, networking is a critical element and spoke of the wheel that lets the business roll on smoothly. Mentors often introduce you to their own professional networks, expanding your connections and opening doors to collaborations, partnerships, investments as well as help specify your target audience. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know."

Nava Paath of Nava Durga

Goddess Durga offers life lessons that inspire a wealth of meaning for the management world. Navaratri worships Goddess Durga in various forms of power. The nine forms of Goddesses, which are popularly known as "Nava Durga" signify the conquest of the dangerous demons which draw their parallels and meanings as per context – personal, professional, business and otherwise.

Goddess Shailputri

Significance – Introspection, Strength, Courage, and Composure. Helps in guiding us in our journey to explore and discover our purpose in life Helps to understand the struggle related to the initial years of setting up a business and focus on its successful continuity by evaluating the business goals.

Goddess Brahmacharini

Significance – Confidence, Competence, and Perseverance. A balanced state of mind, immense willpower, desire for success, and confidence are the most important qualities that help us in the most challenging times in the lives of entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Goddess Chandraghanta

Significance – Grace, Knowledge, Bravery, and Vigilance. With supreme bliss by being vigilant regarding any changes in policies and regulations, one must learn adaptability and upgrade technology to maintain relevance and fit to add more value to the business.

Goddess Kushmanda

Significance – Energy, harmony, wealth, and power. To create customer centricity and wealth in your business you must focus on your financial well-being and emotional well-being, which contributes positively to your business.

Goddess Skandamata

Significance – Intelligence, and compassion. A compassionate leader inspires all the team members through coordination and collaboration. This enables the leader to focus well on the business goals.

Goddess Katyayani

Significance – Knowledge, Courage, and Power. Modern businesses are dynamic with policies, trends, and competition and the business must adapt all these accordingly.

Goddess Kalratri

Significance – Happiness, Knowledge, Wealth, Perfection, and Purity of heart. As an entrepreneur or a business leader, one needs to communicate regularly with the employees and stakeholders on the plan of action to overcome the challenges.

Goddess Mahagauri

Significance – Cheerful demeanor. A leader needs to make first impressions with all stakeholders of the company with a pleasant cheer.

Goddess Siddhidatri

Significance – Knowledge, and Wisdom. As a businessman or entrepreneur, one needs to have a thorough knowledge of the business and focus on constantly building new skills and strategies that will help the business grow.

If the entrepreneur, or businessperson focusses on the above 9 important lessons from Goddess Durga, one can take the business to new heights.

Happy Dussehra!!

Money, More Money, Even More Money

To some people, money is power. To some money equals status and prestige, while for others it means security. For some people money allows them to get the things they want in life. Others just want to have enough to meet their needs. How important is money and what role does it play in your life?

While money allows you to function suitably in a capitalistic world, many people do not associate positive emotions with it. Money is associated by people as something that belongs to the future and is supposed to make it secure. This makes a lot of people go through a guilt-trip when it is spent, which eventually leads them to compare themselves with their peers. This induced peer pressure spirals into self-doubt, negative self-talk, and messy future thoughts. Despite all this, there is something that binds all our thoughts, apprehensions, and plannings - everyone is very emotional about money.

The psychology behind our relationship with money is very underrated and there is a great deal of undercurrent to the confusing emotions many of us feel when it comes to our finances. Our feelings are always unrelated to the financial decisions we make and indicative of something much deeper.

Anything important in our lives is emotional. Our relationships are emotional, our work is emotional, and so is our money.