Have you come across this quote by Jordan B. Peterson: “Experience is the best teacher, and the worst experiences teach the best lessons”? True, hard lessons are those you experience yourself, but surely, there are other ways to avoid the common pitfalls and save yourself from losing time and money, which can be done by learning from the experiences of others.
This is the beauty of mentorship because one can get tips and tools on how to fix things and do them right through having one-on-one conversations with entrepreneurs who have more experience than you. It is one of the many benefits of having a mentor that Gabriel Esseesse, Co-Founder at TestMate and Salt&Fuessel, has come to recognise as a participant of EO Melbourne’s Mentorship Program. It is why he is thankful to have Sue Jackson, Chair and Director of Solterbeck Events, as a mentor who provides him with guidance, support, and assurances.
Finding like-minded individuals
Entrepreneurship is not an easy road, and often a solitary one. Sue has experienced it herself and hopes she can be there to guide and keep Gabriel’s company at this part of his entrepreneurial journey.
“It's very lonely when you run your own business and there's no one there to defer to or ask a question. It's helpful if you've got a business partner so you're in it with someone else, but still, every single decision is yours because the buck stops with you,” she described.
Gabriel agrees that it is reassuring when someone more advanced in the entrepreneurial journey helps those who are still getting to the point where mentors are right now.
“That reassurance of someone tapping on your shoulder and saying, ‘Yeah, everything is going to be okay. Just keep at it, as I've done that. I know how hard it is, so just keep moving.’ That is sometimes all you need and people from the outside don't see that. I mean, my wife would not understand that, my friends would not understand that. It's just someone who has done that road and built the businesses that know the constant struggle and the lonely struggles that you face. That's why I'm always thankful to Sue for all the words and knowledge that she provides.”
Opportunity for growth
Growth is an ongoing thing that even entrepreneurs have come to recognise as something important in personal and professional development. “Since I joined EO, I realised more and more how important education was and how important learning from others was going to be in my career. Just by having a mentor, especially like Sue, someone who has done it and was already in a place where I would love to be in a few years, I thought it was going to be an amazing opportunity for me to accelerate that growth and that knowledge,” Gabriel explained.
However, it is not just Gabriel who is growing through mentorship. Sue also admits she’s picking some insights from Gabriel as well. “I equally learn from Gabriel. I don't know everything about his business, so that's fascinating. I'm always interested in other businesses and other stories so I can continue to learn,” she shared.
“It is valuable and enjoyable because when you get to my stage of your career, you sometimes forget how much you've learned and how many trials you had along the way. It's not until you know the younger entrepreneurs coming up and you realise that they're facing the same things that you did – from how you manage your time to how you manage your growing business and the different phases of the business and what it's like managing five people versus 15 people versus 35 people versus 80 people. I think it's fascinating and it's valuable to share those insights and try to help. I hope I can fast-track Gabriel a little bit and that he can learn how to cope with those things faster than I did. If I can save him a month or a year or three years then it’s fantastic,” Sue added.
Key learnings
One of the many tips and tools that Gabriel has picked from his conversations with Sue was getting middle managers and filling certain positions in his company. “Aside from getting amazing tools and tips on how to fix things that aid me along the way at whatever I'm going through, it's that feeling to be reassured that things will turn out fine. It's going to be good and then we will continue growing. So far, every single time I come out with two or three or four specific action items that I need to do, I can go back to the office and implement with the team,” Gabriel noted.
“The number one thing that I enjoyed the most is realising that not everything bad is that bad and not everything good is that good. It's just a journey. To start learning that, you will find that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are batches where things are not that good but better times will come. At the same time, when better times come, there might be times when things will get rocky so you just need to keep pushing forward. But you need to start enjoying the journey. Whenever I spoke with Sue, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I've done that and this is what happened. And yes, you will get there.’ That's always the feeling that I get out of my mentoring sessions and I get reinvigorated and re-energized, telling myself, ‘Well, it's not that bad. Let's move on. We will improve it,’” he added.
Sense of fulfilment
One of the reasons why Sue has taken part in the program is that it has allowed her to help other entrepreneurs, which is a rewarding feeling and a worthwhile experience.
“As I was once part of EO Melbourne, I always found it invaluable to hear the insights and experiences of both EO members and other business people. Given that I found it valuable then, it may be that at this stage in my career, as I’m on the other side now in terms of the time frame, wherein my experiences equally might be valuable to someone else as well. So, that was the primary motivator. The secondary motivator was to give back to EO because it's a fantastic forum for entrepreneurs worldwide,” Sue remarked.
She went on, “I think, as a mentor, you get enormous satisfaction out of being able to share stories and histories of what you've been through and hope that it could be valuable to someone else. It's great to be able to give back and be able to support the next generation of entrepreneurs because entrepreneurs are incredibly valuable to the business world. Personally, it helps keep that fire and how to help you continue to see that that fire in the belly of people. That spirit is uplifting for yourself because it's not just you’re sitting there and telling a few stories but also you're getting much more out of it.”
In a challenging journey like entrepreneurship, it is helpful to find other people who can guide you along the way and help you accelerate your growth so that you can achieve your goals at a faster rate. This is what mentorship has provided Gabriel and many more who took part in the program.