How to get the right mentors (even when you don’t have money or are unsure of what to do)

I got the concept of mentorship from the book Think Big by Ben Carson. He had a whole chapter on his mentors. And not all of his mentors had charged him for mentorship or coaching.

This taught me to learn from everyone. Both paid coaches/trainers and people who speak their minds freely. In fact, there are many times where the best things in life are absolutely free. You just need to invest your time on them.

I learn from books, podcasts, webinars, blog posts, sermons, human interactions, observation, social media posts, comments, replies…name it! Even movies hehe…

To me, a mentor is someone who GUIDES you and helps you to meet your goal. They don’t do the work for you. You still have to do the work (no escaping that). Mentors just make it easier, give you the hard truths, and encouragement when need be.

A mentee is someone who actually LISTENS to their mentors and TAKES ACTION with what they learn. Not just someone who reads notes. For example, you can’t just read the bible and call yourself a Christian, you have to actually DO what’s in the bible to become a Christian. Or else Jesus will say “I don’t know you”.

So even if you have the right mentor, but you’re not the right mentee, it will be a disaster.

Here’s how to get the right mentors:

1. Be open minded and allow yourself to learn from ANYONE, as long as it makes sense. Never look down on anyone.

2. Start with the free tips given. Good to pay for training after getting some small wins from what you learn freely. Sometimes, a specific goal, course, skill etc may just not be for you. Therefore I recommend first testing the waters before jumping in with both feet.

3. Don’t just work with one mentor. You can have one coach/trainer that you mainly learn from. During the training (especially for paid courses) it’s advisable to MOSTLY learn from your trainer and implement everything. But once you’ve exhausted his or her course, and gotten some wins, do this:

4. Learn from people way above you. There are many successful people who give free advice. Just look at billionaires like Strive Masiyiwa, Bill Gates, Richard Branson etc. They give lots of FREE tips. You may never meet them, but they can still mentor you. Remember my definition of a mentee above? Here’s why you need such mentors:

5. You get what’s in your mentors (plural: MENTORS). Even if I’m your trainer and I’ve succeeded in things, chances are that there are people out there who are a million times more successful than me. You need to learn from multiple people such as them as well. Why? You get fresh tips, learn how to SCALE, open your mind more and increase your chances of success.

6. It’s okay to PAY for some affordable coaching. If you can afford Sh. 500, then you can go for a Sh. 500 course. Make sure it’s from a credible person. BUT if you can genuinely afford 20k, go for a 20k course. There’s a reason for this:

7. Paying for some coaching or mentorship (whether a book, online course or physical training), gives you two things: First you feel like you’ve invested for it, so you subconsciously work harder to get back your investment. Secondly, I recommend “100x per month” your investment. So if you spent Sh. 500 on a course, 100x that is Sh. 50,000 per month. If you spent Sh. 20k, aim to get to Sh. 2m per month someday. May take years of (very) hard work , but that’s my recommended target of returns.

8. Always remember that a mentee is someone who takes action with what they learn. It’s not just someone who reads notes. A lady once WhatsApped me and told me she’d gotten to Sh. 400k per month by just following the FREE tips I share on social media, email and on my blog. On the other hand, there are a few PAID trainees who give up half-way. Ask any trainer or learning institution you’ll see.

There’s a lot you can gain for mentorship. Try have a warrior’s “never give up” spirit. Note that mentors don’t do things FOR you, they just GUIDE – either via free or paid methods. You’re the one who should go ahead and take action.

Don’t just focus on ONE mentor, you’ll limit your options. Have 2-5 at any one time. They don’t have to even know they’re your mentors, e.g. if your mentor is Bill Gates, Strive Masiyiwa or Joyce Meyer, chances are they’ll never know you. But never forget my definition of a mentee. You have to TAKE ACTION with what you learn.

You get what’s in your mentors. So choose mentors wisely. I’ve seen some people sharing very limited thoughts that they’d gotten from people with limited thoughts. And I’ve seen many succeed since they IMPLEMENTED the right advice.

One last thing, once you get mentored and succeed, it pays big-time to come back here (or elsewhere) and mentor others. Very few do this. But that’s what makes the world a better place.