Online Mentor – Do You Need One?

Online Mentor – Do You Need One?

Posted on 05. Jun, 2009 by Michelle in Online Money

Internet coach

Today I want to talk about what I consider to be one of the most critical keys to online success, in fact it’s just as critical in the offline world too!

men·tor
n.
1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

Do you need a mentor? Well the definition itself gives you the ultimate clue: ‘wise teacher‘ with an emphasis on wise. A wise teacher is one that has solid knowledge in particular areas of expertise.

Now here’s where this gets interesting in relation to making money online. How many times have you heard this? “The only people making money online are the ones selling information on how to make money online! You can get it all for free anyway!”

The problem with a great deal of the ‘free’ information is that you can never be certain whether you’ve received words of wisdom or a page full of bad advice. I’ve seen many times over people who try to genuinely help others in forums but all they’re doing is sharing the ‘free’ bad advice they’ve received but just don’t know it. —edit There is plenty of bad advice for sale too! Then that person runs to some one else’s aid in another forum or on Yahoo answers or Tweets it and the bad advice circulates virally, but it’s all for free right? Well no it’s not for free, it costs you dearly! You can be so far off track and not even know it thanks to the many well intentioned unwise teachers coming to everyone’s aid.

I have seen over and over and over again a constant stream of well intentioned but nonetheless error ridden advice being handed around helping people like you set your business foundations in quicksand. It is important that you do get out and learn plenty of things via your own investigation but having a point to come back to, that place you know as ‘true North’, well that is priceless. How do I know? Because mentors have helped me achieve every major goal I’ve ever wanted to achieve in my life to date.

Internet coach

I’m proud of the fact that I was one of the youngest ever female Store Managers for a giant Australian retailer. How did I do it? I found myself mentors in the areas of people management, public speaking, training and chairing meetings to name a few.

How did I progress from Store Manager to a National Manager responsible for a $33 million dollar a year business? Again, I watched others who were successful before me in those roles, I networked but most importantly found two mentors who helped me find ‘true North’ and keep me on track to succeed. There were plenty of well intentioned colleagues handing out advice on how best to manage 300 staff but having my own experience and that of my mentors to check back with, well they were the most critical keys of all.

Just like mentors have helped me succeed in the off line world so they have in the online world. If you’ve read my $2000 free report you might recall towards the end I mention the name Josh Spaulding. If you already know of Josh then you might know me too from his coaching forum. Josh was one of the first mentors I employed when I decided to get serious about making money online. I interviewed Josh in my own special way by reading his blog posts, checking out some of his products and asking questions on his blog which he took the time to answer. I knew then that if he’ll answer me for free on his blog then he surely will deliver in the coaching forum, and I was right. :)

I guess not everyone needs a mentor to succeed but all the people I follow on and off line who are successful have strong networks and mentors within those networks. If you rely on advice from people regurgitating unwise advice then you could find yourself having to undo a heap of errors that are being built into the foundations of your business. Everyone makes mistakes, and some of the biggest mistakes we make provide us with the best lessons however you will achieve success much more quickly if you have someone like Josh to be your ‘true North’ or your ‘myth buster’ as I like to call him. :)

So who’s to say Josh Spaulding is wise? Well you only have to visit his blog and read through some of his posts to get an idea of just how much knowledge he has and most importantly how that knowledge converts into actual income! Believe me when I say that I don’t employ mentors lightly and when I do I am myself an expert in terms of being a goal orientated person who knows what my needs are and whether the mentor is likely to be able to lead me to success. Josh’s style won’t suit everybody but to be blunt, it mostly won’t suit those people who are probably never going to make it anyway.

If you are the type of person who wants to sit back and be bottle fed then Josh isn’t your man. Like every good coach or mentor, there is a very clear expectation that you take action and when you do you ask for direction and help and put into place the directions you’re given. I’ve seen a few people ‘know better’ than their mentors and fall on their swords. If you employ a coach that you are confident knows what they’re doing, has proven to have had success in the field then you would be wise to follow their advice to a T.

Coaching with Josh isn’t always open for new members, if there are too many members then it’s impossible to answer everyone’s questions. There are places available at the time of writing but knowing Josh, he’s likely to close the doors at a moments notice and he even hinted to the membership becoming invitation only in the future so I wanted to write this post up now to get you in whilst I still can!

dreamstime_2087575

If you need someone to come back to, to check you’re on track, to support you for as long as you’re willing to take action, to cut the fluff and get to the point, to impart their knowledge that has given them their success then Josh is the mentor you’ve been looking for. Does duplicate content matter? Do you need to worry about on-site SEO? Are backlinks worth it? What about non-relevant sites, do those backlinks count for anything? Should I join the War Room? Why don’t the customers click on my ads? Do I need shared or dedicated hosting? These are just a few of the questions I’ve seen posted around the Internet with unwise answers being regurgitated constantly. Don’t create a heap of errors that you’ll only have to undo, get to the facts and fast by employing a mentor who is wise!

I’d love to see you at Coaching with Josh, it’s a tight knit community where you get advice not only from Josh but others who have their very own areas of expertise too. Networking is another critical key to success that I’ll cover in a future post but for now just know it is second on my list of must haves and you will certainly be able to network with members like myself and others in the Coaching forum. Oh and of course there is this crazy deal Josh has with his membership! You post 500 times in the Coaching forum and your monthly membership is free for life! Get in now while the doors are still open! You can check it out here.

I have a few other online mentors too and in my next post I’ll be sure to talk about the most recent one I’ve employed. Until then, I look forward to meeting you at the Coaching forum and I’d love to read your comments below about who your mentors are if you have any.

Michelle Adams

Heading North!

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16 Responses to “Online Mentor – Do You Need One?”

  1. Mark MasonNo Gravatar (2 comments)

    05. Jun, 2009

    Michelle; I could not agree more about Josh. Loved the post!

  2. robertNo Gravatar (5 comments)

    05. Jun, 2009

    Sage Advice! Its a hard road to do all of this one’s own, so having a support circle is CRITICAL. Thanks Michelle, for reminding me of this.

  3. MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments)

    05. Jun, 2009

    @ Mark thanks for dropping by, glad you loved the post. See you at CWJ! :)

    @ Robert your description of a support circle being critical is spot on. There’s nothing like knowing you can call for help at a moment’s notice and it’s rewarding to help others succeed at the same time.

    Thanks for visiting. :)

  4. Josh SpauldingNo Gravatar (6 comments)

    06. Jun, 2009

    Thanks for the kind words, Michelle. You hit the nail on the head with several points in this post, but what I hope people read and really think about is this:

    “The problem with a great deal of the ‘free’ information is that you can never be certain whether you’ve received words of wisdom or a page full of bad advice.”

    There is so much bad advice floating around out there. If it sounds like something that could work, people take it and run with it whether they’ve tested for themselves or not.

    You’re going to go far in this business :) Great to have you as a client. See you at CWJ.

  5. MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments)

    08. Jun, 2009

    Josh, thanks for your comments! :)

  6. RayNo Gravatar (2 comments)

    12. Jun, 2009

    Thank you Michelle,
    Everytime I read about these mentors, like Josh, I remember again why they are so successful. Plus, they also have mentors that have coached them to success as well. I look forward to one day being mentored in this way. I know I can only learn so much by just visiting different blogs. A focused learning program is what everyone needs to succeed.

    MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments) Reply:
    June 13th, 2009 at 12:53 am

    Ray the word ‘focus’ is key, you’re spot on there.

  7. kingsleyNo Gravatar (2 comments)

    13. Jun, 2009

    Thanks alot for your post,please i need some
    help,i am a nigerian and still a novice in the internet world,please i want to know if
    there is any legitimate way i can be making upto $500 per month.I have purchased some ebooks that brag about making thousands of dollars in one day but i have not made a dime online,please i need your help,kindly
    send me a clue,advice or guide to my email
    thanks in advance.

  8. MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments)

    14. Jun, 2009

    Hi Kingsley, There are plenty of legitimate ways to make $500 a month online. I’m working on a free report that will offer one way but meanwhile I highly recommend Josh Spaulding’s $5 formula, you can get it for free at http://www.5dollarformula.com/.

  9. kingsleyNo Gravatar (2 comments)

    14. Jun, 2009

    Thank you for your response,but please the site you recomended for me is not loading,pls find another way of giving me some clue.

    MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments) Reply:
    June 14th, 2009 at 11:40 pm

    Hi Kingsley, I can’t see why the site wouldn’t load for you. You can visit Josh Spaulding’s blog directly here http://ez-onlinemoney.com/blog/.

  10. J BodeNo Gravatar (1 comments)

    17. Jun, 2009

    Hey Michelle,

    Having a mentor or coach is an important part in growing your online business even if it is just having them teach you the skills they have that you don’t have.

    If you take action and truly put an effort into what your coach is teaching you (assuming they are good) you will almost always be able to improve your results – people love one on one help – it’s very effective compared to other forms of information.

    I think a coach is should also be a motivator if you can’t motivate someone to do something you know works – they can’t possibly succeed.

  11. MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments)

    17. Jun, 2009

    Hi J Bode, I like the comment you made about taking action from your coach “assuming they are good”.

    Putting in a little bit of time and effort to ensure the coach you’re considering knows what they’re doing is very important, testimonials like mine of Josh Spaulding is one way of achieving that.

    I checked out your blog and loved your point about an “ideas box”.:)

    Thanks for visiting.

  12. MirzaNo Gravatar (3 comments)

    17. Jun, 2009

    Hi Michelle,
    Love the post. I couldn’t agree more in that having a coach/mentor is a must have if you want to get serious with marketing in order to make money online.

    I have a lot of thoughts and comments about “paid coaching” in which I do not have enough time or room here for me to elaborate. However, I can say this much for anyone just starting out or even if you’ve been at it awhile to no avail, please take your research very seriously when looking for a mentor or coach.

    Michelle, you said: “Josh was one of the first mentors I employed when I decided to get serious about making money online. I interviewed Josh in my own special way by…” (It’s the “by” that is important)

    Yes, you need to interview, research and really dig deep before you hire someone to coach you. I say this especially to those just starting out because that is when you are most vulnerable in believing Internet Marketing in all it’s glory is easy. Yeah, “Easy” once you know HOW.

    The hype (as you well know) is dangerous! And if you’re not careful you could find yourself forking over hundreds if not thousands of dollars to someone (even a company) promising you’ll be making a LOT of money in as little as 3 to 6 months. (Be careful)

    Sorry if I seem over the top. But, I believe this is so important. You were smart in that you did your homework and found someone like Josh, and it’s obviously paying off for you:)

    And that’s my point. Please, do your due diligence, check out your mentors BEFORE you hire!

    Trust me, I know.

  13. MichelleNo Gravatar (232 comments)

    17. Jun, 2009

    Hi Mirza, Thanks for emphasising this point. It’s important that each person does plenty of research about who they’re handing money to.

    It’s also important to note that not every mentor will suit everybody. Josh Spaulding has a style that is very direct and to the point which suits me as I don’t have time to waste. If he babied me I’d still have gotten somewhere but at a much slower pace. Can’t say I didn’t have moments where I wanted to quit, but now, oh thank goodness I didn’t! It’s because of Josh’s style and the knowledge he transfers that I’ve really hit the ground running.

    Like you said, we all must do our own research to find a coach that meets our particular needs.

    Your blog is looking good Mirza, seems you’ve been taking loads of action since we last spoke at the WF, great to see!

  14. Donnie @ Chattanooga Web DesignNo Gravatar (7 comments)

    29. Jul, 2009

    It’s important to have those mentors. They have worked for me in many aspects of my life. They don’t have to be called mentor to serve as such. It’s been my mentors that have shaped who I am as a person. Fortunately, I’ve found myself mentoring others in my profession. Both are satisfying.