DUBAI, March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Even the biggest names in industry had to start somewhere, and one of the best ways to progress your career is by having a mentor. Vision talks to young entrepreneurs to find out what crucial advice they are being given
Employment - being employed and employing others - is an acute problem for many of the world's youth. There are currently three young people out of work for every unemployed adult globally. Such a statistic is grim reading, yet some young people are finding another solution to the problem: starting their own enterprise.
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There are many hurdles to getting a venture off the ground, not least finding the money to do so, getting the first customer and understanding your market. Still, a problem shared is a problem halved and one often-overlooked area of support is simply having someone to provide friendly advice.
"Generally a young person getting into business doesn't know what they don't know," says John Cull, mentoring consultant with the non-profit global network Youth Business International (YBI). "The role of a mentor is to help, support and challenge a person as they go through transitions in their lives, in this case as they start their business."
YBI's network of organisations helps young people in more than 40 countries get their startup ideas going by providing loans and, crucially, pairing them with a business mentor. In one third of 21 countries surveyed, young entrepreneurs said their mentor made more of a positive difference to their business than money, according to a YBI study.
"From their experience, mentors can ask the challenging questions. Decisions about the business will always be made by the entrepreneur, but if it doesn't work out the mentor can help them think about what they would do differently next time," says Cull. "Mentors also have a great way of being able to bring creative ideas to the table."
It is a pillar of support that Juan Ramon Nuñez, a young Argentinian entrepreneur who runs his own community radio station and sound and lighting business, can appreciate.
To read the rest of the article, please visit: http://vision.ae/articles/when_building_a_business_dont_go_it_alone
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