Business Mentorship has the potential to give your affiliate business the edge over your competition. We spoke to a few affiliates recently about what business mentoring means to them and how they have benefitted from having an experienced iGaming mentor available to help them grow their businesses. Here’s a few questions we posed at the recent London Affiliate Conference with affiliates who use mentors in their business:
Have you used a business mentor in your affiliate business and if so – why?
Overwhelmingly, the affiliates that we spoke to first turned to a mentor for guidance and then also to encourage their own accountability. The need to stay accountable to deliver against project plans was a strong selling point in having a mentor within an entrepreneurial environment.
Some affiliates found that it was one particular entrepreneurial experience that nudged them to seek out a mentor , whereas for others it was an accumulation of different experiences that lead them to working with a mentor.
Either way, the motivation of these affiliates was to better themselves and their businesses. They found having someone outside their business who was able to provide an unbiassed view or provide a network of contacts that helped expedite progress was invaluable to their business and self growth.
Where did you find your mentor and what expertise did they have that helped you with your business?
Networking within the iGaming industry and Financial sectors was the most popular way for our affiliates to find their mentors, as they were able to identify strong contenders within the industry who were knowledgeable and respected and then reached out to them to consult with over a period of time. Some of the affiliates looked for mentorship outside the gambling industry but in the end, found that this had a few disadvantages and went on to find experienced iGaming mentors instead.
What does working with a mentor really bring you?
Most of the affiliates we surveyed, suggested that their Mentors serve a range of purposes both personally and professionally in the business environment. Many affiliates tended to look to them for advice and introductions. A few for personal development and assistance with managing projects, resources and finance. With an experienced iGaming mentor, many found that they were able to network more effectively and get introductions that they would not otherwise have been able to make on their own. Alongside the accountability and experience that the mentor offers, introductions were among the most cited ways that mentors assisted affiliates. Depending on the affiliate and their personality, clicking with a mentor highlights a range of different ways they could be progressing in their business.
Share a great experience that you learned from having a business mentor?
Most affiliates we canvassed said that they learned to priorities projects better and remain focussed on delivery. As entrepreneurs it’s incredibly easy to be overwhelmed with trying to compete and also run an efficient business to develop cutting edge technology and continued growth. Having a mentor who can help you stay focussed, provide insight and experience from industry
The value of freeing up time from working in the business to allow them the headspace for working ON it – for the affiliate is huge. A regular meet up with a mentor helped them to refocus and reprioritise tasks and get a much clearer view on the business. We’ve all heard of not being able to see the woods for the trees, and it seems that’s what a business mentor can help you overcome
Mentoring results – what kinds of results have you had when talking through problematic items in your business growth strategy?
Having someone to talk through a strategy prior to implementing it helps show pitfalls, especially with the experience of a mentor on side. When you have someone experienced to call on who’s been there, done that and can show you the elements that you may be missing – thats incredibly useful.
With affiliates often having to wear many hats, a bit of extra time and experience prevent you from making mistakes, as the chances are the mentor has experienced a similar process over the years. Business mentoring to poole knowledge seemed to be an essential for all the affiliates we chatted to. Whether that’s achieved through one to one exchanges or even with experienced business owners at the larger events.
If you need a bit of mentoring support and help learning and networking in this industry, then be sure to check our upcoming Training Academy , Business retreats and Affiliate events.
