How Long Should A Mentoring Relationship Last?

So, you’re a startup entrepreneur. How can you set yourself up for success? Well, you need to surround yourself with successful, like-minded people. They can help you learn the skills necessary to survive the murky world of business. 

A startup business mentor guides you through different stages of your entrepreneurial journey. They can answer all the critical questions about running a business. But how long should a mentoring relationship last? This article talks about business mentorship and answers that question.

What Is Business Mentorship?

Business mentoring is the relationship between an experienced person and a novice. The businessperson with experience is the mentor. The new business owner or employee is the mentee, looking for guidance. 

Mentoring can be formal or informal. You can form mentorships with friends, family, or business contacts. The primary purpose is for your mentor to give support and guidance when necessary. Mentoring will help develop practical business skills. If you remove any skill gaps, you can grow and scale up your business without problems.

They will also teach you the 5 skills of an entrepreneur. Fortunately, most business mentors do not charge for their services, especially in informal mentoring. But you might be required to pay a small fee if you enroll for formal mentoring offered by government and industry associations.

How Long Should Your Mentorship Last?

While there isn’t a definite answer to this question, mainly because most mentorships last indefinitely, there are timeframes and best practices that both the mentor and mentee should embrace. These timeframes help to establish some semblance of organization and rhythm. Here are the expected timeframes and stages that business mentoring should follow.

First Stage: Foundation (1-2 Months)

The first stage of mentoring is establishing a foundation for a significant relationship between you and your mentor. It also involves setting goals and expectations, including communicating with your mentor and objectives for the next stage of the mentorship. Remember that the success of your mentoring program depends on the success of your foundation stage.

Second Stage: Progress (2-5 Months)

This stage involves a lot of action because it is the phase where you start pursuing the goals and objects you set in the first stage. It is also the stage where you become the catalyst of success. In this stage, you need to work hard to create an action that will generate reactions from your mentor. If you stagnate at this stage, you will make it difficult for your mentor to engage with you and provide any meaningful value.

Third Stage: Analysis (5-9 Months)

This stage is where the rubber meets the road. Your mentor starts to pass their wisdom and experience onto your behaviors and results. It is also the stage where you and your mentor work together to review the goals and objectives of the mentorship and come up with working plans for the future. In this stage, your mentor becomes more accountable for a healthy mentorship.

If you actively pursue your activities and seek feedback regularly, your mentor will work hard to stay aligned with progress and offer essential input and analysis.

Fourth Stage: Dormancy (9+ Months)

Every mentorship tapers off naturally after some time because there isn’t a single mentor who knows everything. But this doesn’t mean it is the end of the relationship with your mentor. Fortunately, your mentorship can result in a lasting relationship. At this point, your interaction with your mentor might decrease, and you may only contact them when you are facing a severe problem that’s beyond your ability. Or you might find a new mentor with new insights.  

So, the nine-month mark is a perfect time to set your current mentorship program on the back-burner and find a new mentor to grow with you from your new plateau or challenge you to go farther. However, it’s important to note that these stages are not mutually exclusive. Nothing stops you from engaging in different phases of mentorship with other mentors.

Finally, when undertaking a mentorship program, the important thing is to outline clear goals and objectives from the get-go, ensuring that you and your mentor have a clear picture of where you want to go with the relationship. Make sure you have achieved all your goals and objectives before the mentorship ends.