I had an interesting conversation with a person where the topic revolved around how having a good support system can often be an important aspect when it comes to things like starting a business. At the same time, he mentioned how a lot of people will say they are your biggest fan/supporter yet when time comes where you could truly use their help they are nowhere to be seen.

He sure took it to the extreme though in terms of sorting people which was kind of surprising I thought. For example, he mentioned one time where he was defrauded over some money and while he was able to perfectly handle the situation himself, he decided to ask some people in his network that he knew could help him. While almost everyone had that “So sorry” response, apparently less than 20% of the people were prepared to want to do something to help. By doing this, he mentions that he has been able to align himself with the right people.

I think it is kind of difficult to just sort people in that way as to a certain extent I would say acknowledging your issue is support in itself. On top of that, you may also unfairly establish a high level that someone would have to aid you to qualify as “real support” too which is kind of dangerous.

I personally never forget my roots I guess you can say as almost everything that I do I always remember those who were there since the beginning. It’s kind of like investing in a company I guess where there are those who were at your side when you were almost unheard of and those that are simply trying to hop on for the ride at its peak and will be the first ones to leave when it slows down. Isn’t that usually the best way to weed people out if you had to from a business perspective?

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I was reading some literature that revolved around people’s experiences and challenges when it comes to business and life. Of course, there were the common answers such as you have to have determination to not quit when the going gets tough while being passionate about what you do. They talked about having certain people in one’s life as a support system which was a major factor for their success.

The interesting observation was that there seemed to be a split as some people mentioned that the most important person to have was a mentor while others say it is finding a significant other. In general, people emphasized a mentor as they provide you with insight and advise while helping to expose you to opportunities to help you grow. With a significant other, the theme revolved around having someone who will be there during the good and bad times for some much needed emotional support and push to keep going.

Generally speaking, I personally see a mentor as someone who helps you to accelerate your growth in a specific area which means you need more than one. In that sense, you need someone specifically for say business advice, lifestyle health, etc. A significant other would make me think that their impact in your life would help to build your character overall. With that, it is more about developing a foundation and environment where you will be invigorated each day to do whatever it may be.

I don’t think I have the knowledge and wisdom compared to others who have experienced a lot more in life to really make a comment on which one is more important for professional growth, but it’s an interesting thing to think about for people such as aspiring entrepreneurs if all you think about is work and trying to do things by yourself to achieve success.

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