Mentors: Wise counsel for first time entrepreneurs

Mentors: Wise counsel for first time entrepreneurs

At last week’s Entrepreneurship 101 lecture, attendees were encouraged to consider their startup company in the context of a commercial “ecosystem” – their network not only of customers and suppliers, but also government, service providers, trade associations, etc.

One key component of that ecosystem that was not mentioned is that of a mentor — someone who coaches a first time entrepreneur. For example, institutional investors such as VCs often put an executive chair in place to serve that role. Finding such a mentor can be a challenge — MaRS offers volunteer advisors who may end up playing such a role. I’m interested in any examples of how you found a mentor and how they helped (or didn’t help) you achieve success.

Downloads and Resources

Basic Nuts and Bolts of Starting a Company
View SlideShare presentation or download your own. (tags: commercialization business)