For most consultants, paying for business coaching or mentorship programs is a major investment. We know because we run a nonprofit consultant mentorship program that we call Boot Camp.
Unlike a lot of consulting mentorship programs out there that may last six months or a year, our program is a focused 60 days. One of the reasons we chose this time-limited approach is that it enables our mentees to focus deeply and intensively, without getting burned out or tuning out. You can learn more about our Consulting Boot Camp here.
But even if you don’t choose a mentorship with our team, there are still some great takeaways we’ve learned from Boot Camp alums about how to get the most out of any consulting mentorship program.
1) Be ready to work on YOUR consulting business.
When you’re choosing a one-on-one mentorship program (like Boot Camp), you will be working on your own business. This means that to get the most out of the program, you must spend time doing work ON your business between one-on-one sessions.
This looks different for everyone. New consultants might be choosing business names, buying website domains, and deciding which services to offer. Consultants with established businesses might be honing their messaging, developing content calendars, revamping their websites, or developing standard operating procedures as they grow their teams.
The key is that you can’t rely on your consulting mentor to work on your business for you. That is YOUR job! Plus, we’ve seen time and again how the more energy you put into your business during a mentorship, the more successful your business will be.
2) Be open to learning new things from your consulting mentor.
One of the unique things about our consulting mentorship program is that you get to learn from MY mistakes in building a nonprofit consulting business. And I’ve made plenty over the past two decades. But I also learned countless valuable lessons and best practices—which you can now benefit from.
During one Boot Camp coaching call, a consultant learned she could decline to work with or fire problem clients. She set THAT as her new business goal: having such a strong client roster and pipeline, that she could pick and choose who she worked with. (And yes, she quickly achieved that goal.)
So, whether you’re learning from your mentor or about yourself, you WILL learn new things during a consulting mentorship.
3) Be as committed to your own success as your consulting mentor.
One of the magical things about consulting is that we each get to define what success looks like for us. Some nonprofit consultants we work with are running or building multi-six-figure businesses. Others want to earn a full-time living but only work part-time. Still others have retired from long-time careers and are pivoting into a new and often more rewarding business.
The key is that you set your vision for success—and then your mentor helps you design a path to achieve it.
