I truly believe we should never be selfish with the life lessons we learn. We should share them with our community, to help them, inspire them, or get them unstuck. I have always been a big believer of this concept, and in turn have attracted a wonderful community of people who are always ready to lend a hand, or support me on any projects we execute. With that being said, I know I don’t know everything, so I have developed important relationships with Mentors in my life, to help, guide and inspire me to be the best possible version of myself.
My Menorts are humans that are exceptionally striving in their lives, are adaptable to change, resilient in their field, obtain perseverance in their goals, flexible in their journeys, and are never selfish with life lessons they learn. They are trustworthy, and have a very positive outlook on life. So today I would like to share with you 20 of my favourite pieces of advice I’ve received, tested and collected from my mentors to share with you.
In addition to that, with 7 years of running a business and 10 years of being an Art Educator, I have also learned a thing or two and have always willingly shared my life lessons, so below I have shared with you; 20 additional pieces of advice that I would give my Mentees.
20 pieces of advice I’ve received from my Mentors:
- Build a business plan – on paper.
- Be stubborn in the face of challenge.
- Know who your customers are and listen to them.
- Offer great customer service.
- If the program, product, or person doesn’t work, let it/them go.
- Build a database/customer email list.
- Collaborate – Never stop building meaningful relationships.
- Measure what works and refine your approach as you go.
- Adapt to market change.
- Give back to your community.
- Have more than 3 vessels of operation in your business.
- Use social media with a goal in mind.
- Never miss out on an opportunity – say yes!
- You can write the angry email, just don’t send it.
- Becoming successful in business is more about your mentality, psychology and determination than it is about tips, tricks, hacks, and exploiting in the marketplace.
- It’s more than ok to fail!!!
- You can’t learn things without struggle.
- Bring an extra pen to every meeting.
- It is better to ask for forgiveness, then permission.
- Be authentic!
20 additional pieces of advice that I would give my Mentees:
- You have to learn from your obstacles.
- Confront vulnerability.
- Ask for help, get a MENTOR!!
- Deal with rejection.
- Don’t compare! The thief of joy is comparison.
- Celebrate the process.
- Accept constructive criticism.
- Build a strong community to support you – find people who are is empathetic to your struggles and celebrates your wins. BUT, be that person return for them as well.
- Hustle is an act of focus, not frenzy; it’s about focusing on the things that you need to do, in order to move your business forward.
- Don’t give up, don’t take anything personally, and don’t take no for an answer.
- Always be humble.
- Plan time to brainstorm and daydream.
- Take the extra course, class or workshops, never stop learning.
- Spend time with people who are different from you, it will broaden your perspective.
- Have your Mentor come to a class, a workshop, or spend an hour in your work space, so they understand what you do.
- If you are working from home, invest in a really good chair.
- Make sure you LOVE what you are doing, you want to think about this thing, even after you don’t have to do it, like on evenings and weekend.
- ALWAYS give back to the community that you live, and work in.
- It’s more than ok to fail!!
- Have fun!
Until then,
The Art Teacher ( and En·tre·pre·neur )