Did you have a mentor when you first started?

[Sharad M.]

Hello all-

I am just trying to find out how many of you had a formal/informal mentor when you first started out? Or you were someone who read a lots and lots of books and spent time on forums like these to bridge the gap? I feel like I am learning a lot from reading books and spending time on this forum, and I am confused whether I need a mentor or not.

Thanks in advance for all the responses.

[Timothy W.]

Kind of like Hak's story. I had a mentor when I was in 6th grade. At the time all I knew was my dad was making me go to his construction projects and pick up trash, shovel gravel, etc.... Didn't realize the full impact till later of all I had learned.

When I got older and thought I was so much smarter, I paid for some mentoring from a Chicago real estate expert that was worth 8, 12, 22 and 25 million dollars depending on who you talked to and on what day. My dad met this guy and after 5 minutes of talking to him said he'd never do business with this guy. He had him nailed and it took me another year to come around and realize he was right.

In that time I did come across another guy (his name was Rich - different Rich) who owned ten 30 unit complexes in Chicago, starting as a fresh college grad with a humanities degree. He had a similar background to my dad who started with a music degree. It's important to find mentors who "get" where you're coming from. He gave me some simple mentoring and didn't charge me. It was simply a matter of me listening and not trying to be smarter than him. I also went back to learning from my dad and again, listening and not trying to be smarter than him.

The best mentors you don't pay for, and couldn't afford if you tried.