Get Mentoring that Grows With Your Food Truck

Early in your food truck career, you may ask mentors to help you with specific skills that you are not confident in. But as your mobile food business grows, you need to find mentoring that grows with you and your food truck as you face new challenges.

Why It’s Important To Get Mentoring That Grows

Because of these challenges you will need mentoring that’s tailored to your individual strengths and business goals. And, you need mentors who can increase your access to the answers you need. Work with mentors who can help you take the skills you’re honing at the start of your food truck business and apply them to the broader challenges you’ll face in the future.

By finding mentoring that grows with your food truck they will be able to help you make better decisions, solve problems that are holding you back and teach you learn new skills. You can attract these mentors by demonstrating your willingness to learn from them as well as your eagerness for growing your mobile food business.

Now here is a bit of a plot twist, you don’t actually need a formal mentor to serve as your adviser. If you don’t find someone in life, grab one from history.

I’ve spoken with a vendor who chose Winston Churchill as their mentor. They admired how fearless he was in a fearsome time, and how he wasn’t shaken when rejected by colleagues. In the end, others turned to him when the chips were down. He aspired to a tiny reflection of this for their own growth.

Before You Start Looking For A Mentor

Finding a mentor can be easier than you think, but asking someone you don’t know to be your mentor can be intimidating.

Clarify what you want. Before seeking out mentors, write down your specific expectations and the role you want mentors to play in your business. Do you want someone who can help your stalled networking attempts, assist you in learning more about a certain industry or provide guidance on how to be a successful food truck owner? Clarifying your expectations, goals and objectives will ensure that you find the right mentors and that the relationships benefit your mobile food business goals.
Set up a meeting. Once you’ve identified a potential mentor, ask to meet and discuss a possible mentoring relationship. Asking for mentoring is an important step to make certain you’re both clear on the terms. This meeting should take place somewhere that is mutually comfortable and where you can speak in confidence.
Be clear with your mentor. Once you’ve found someone who agrees to be your mentor, make sure you share the same commitment to your expectations. Be clear on the time required and the availability of your mentor, and establish a regular meeting schedule with topics you’d like to discuss.

The Bottom Line

If you’re lucky enough to find a mentor, whether in real time or in history, pay it forward by becoming one for others.

Do you have any additional tips on the topic of mentoring that grows with a food truck business? We’d love to hear your ideas. You can share your thoughts in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter