A little while ago, I worked with the owner of a limousine service who wanted to take his business to the next level. He owned several stretch limousines but had been working out of his home. He wanted to progress from being just a glorified taxi service to becoming a major player in the travel and tourist industry of his city.     He asked for my help and inspiration. Together, we came up with ideas for specialized historic tours, weekend-long adventures and romantic escapes. Many of these ideas came from having seen them in some of the foreign countries I have been to.     Over the course of nine months, we worked together to increase his business by 40%, with these exciting tour packages and some amazing one-of-a-kind custom tours. Mentoring is really a collaborative effort. It's not telling you how to do something - it's supporting you in finding a new way to do it.     As your mentor, I can act as a sounding board for your thoughts and plans, and an inspiration for new ideas. I will be a trusted business friend for you to talk with in private, and, when needed, a shoulder to cry on – but always, I'll be a business confidant who puts your business and career first — I'll be your Personal Coach. Often this is all that is needed to identify strategies and opportunities for growth. Mentoring expands your thinking. The greatest benefit of all is, it will give you the confidence you need to move up to a higher level. I know this for a fact, from my own experience as a business owner.     Will you let me mentor you?   (Yes, let me see my options now!)

    Here's another example. I invited three colleagues to mentor me in my engineering business. I paid them for their advice and to attend a weekly meeting that was devoted solely to my business. Although they were from different industries, their insight to business in general, the economy at large, and specific business matters, was tremendously valuable. I would say that at least half my company's growth was a result of the confidence their advice gave me. And that would translate into more than a million dollars. I learned a lot from those sessions, not the least of which was a way to ask probing questions that has my clients, today, thinking deeply about what they do.     You can see that I bring my own set of life, career and business experiences to the table. I will openly share with you my successes and mistakes. No holding back. It is a wise person who learns from their own mistakes, and an even wiser person who can learn from the mistakes of others. Most importantly, I promise a generosity of spirit to harness the world for your advantage. Having a business mentor – a personal coach – can help you to focus, to look at your business afresh, and remember what your original goals and plans were.     Right now, take a sheet of paper and write down all the things you wanted to accomplish but haven't yet achieved. Describe these things in detail. Decide the type of life you intend to live from now on. Decide NOW on the changes you will make happen that will turn your business into the success you know it can be.     Are you ready?   (Yes, let's do it!!)

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