Blog - business mentors

Business mentors online: who to follow and where to find them

I’m deeply envious of the hero Uhtred in the book and TV series The Last Kingdom. He has mentors galore making him into the ultimate warrior. His father is an English king, his adopted dad a Viking warrior. For an entrepreneur the equivalent would be calling Richard Branson ‘Dad’ and then being taken in by Sir Alan Sugar.

I come from a family of teachers. Have a question about training days? Sorted. How to issue invoices? Not so much. However I’ve found Twitter amazing for gathering together my virtual team of international business mentors.

Using Twitter as a virtual newsletter

By following key people on Twitter, you get their words of wisdom in nuggets of 280 characters maximum. It’s a really quick and easy way to keep up-to-date with news.

Who to follow

Know some industry names? Have some business people you admire? Then look them up. You can do this on Twitter or check out their website for a Twitter link. Or check out the authors of key publications on Amazon.

The best re-tweeters acknowledge their sources. So if you click through to an article which is useful, check out the original author.

Where to find them

Twitter is a great way to absorb lots of information quickly. However you might also want to check out other social media:

  • Facebook is more informal and has more room for questions and answers
  • Pinterest and Instagram can inspire with photos
  • YouTube is a really personal way of hearing your heroes first-hand

My heroes

Marie Forleo – Business inspirer in New York, USA

A friend recommended Marie. She is infectiously upbeat with a wicked sense of humour. Need to be reminded that business is meant to be fun? Take a look at Marie Forleo’s website or Marie Forleo on Twitter.

Andy Maslan – UK Copywriter

Consistently informative but amusing too. Check out the Copywriting Academy or Andy Maslan on Twitter.

Kate Toon – SEO guru and Copywriter in Sydney, Australia

Kate is a breath of fresh air when it comes to down-to-earth advice about Search Engine Optimisation. Find out more at Kate Toon Copywriting or Kate Toon on Twitter.

The value of social media

The great thing about being a mentor is that it can only help your business.

I needed a book about copywriting. When Andy’s name came up on Amazon, I ordered his as I knew I liked his style of writing.

I wanted to brush up on Search Engine Optimisation so I took up Kate’s free 10 Day Challenge. I’ve since graduated from her excellent ‘The recipe for SEO success’ course to help me deliver brilliant SEO content writing.

With Marie, I’m looking into signing up for one of her courses too. The only thing holding me back is time zone differences when it comes to live broadcasts.

Help closer to home

If you need some help with Google-friendly web content or pre-written social media posts, drop me a line for an obligation-free chat. You have an accountant for your figures, so why not a professional writer for your words? Just get in touch.