A mentor is a person with more entrepreneurial business experience than you possess who becomes someone you can trust over a period of time.

You may wonder why having a Home Based Business Mentor is important for the development of your online business. You may have friends and family that you respect their opinion for certain areas in your life but not necessarily for your business. That's where a Mentor can help guide you in the right direction for your business ventures.

If you are an entrepreneur and have dreams of running a highly successful business, I would highly recommend that you go out and find one. It's not easy to find a good Mentor but they are out there and are willing to work with you to build you a successful Home Based Online Business. When I found mine it made a world of difference in my approach to having an online Internet business. It has made a huge difference in my success on the Internet and when you find yours you will start having the success that you want for your business.

You might be asking yourself at this point, so how do I find a Mentor?

It's not always an easy task but one worth researching for the future success of your business.

Here are a few key characteristics to look for in a Mentor:

1) Do they share the same values that you do?

2) Make sure you have good rapport with this person and are willing to listen to them, even if it is something you may not want to hear.

3) Does your Mentor have goals that line up with yours?

4) Are they willing to use their energy and time with you? (Assuming you don't waste their time)

You may be thinking "Why would someone want to Mentor me, for free?" The answer to this, most of the time, is by helping and guiding you to build a profitable business, this helps them build their business at the same time. So it's a win, win situation.

There are numerous advantages in having a Mentor at your finger tips:

* They have the entrepreneurial experience that you don't have.

* They provide this experience to you for "free."

* They expand your networking world because they may put you in touch with other experienced people you would have never had the opportunity to work with.

* You will develop a long term and trusted relationship over time.

* You will end up with a highly successful home based business.

Once you find your Mentor for your business, I am assuming you want it to be a healthy and long lasting relationship, I highly recommend that you respect your Mentor by doing the following:

1) Respect them by not wasting their time.

2) Be absolutely honest with them, even when it might have them respond with something you don't want to hear.

3) Stay focused on the business task at hand.

4) Show up on time for any appointments with them. Let them know in advance if you can't make it.

5) Keep all commitments you have made with them.

6) Make sure to finish all projects they have assigned.

7) Come to the table with a positive outlook and be solutions oriented.

If you follow these simple guidelines, it will make for a successful and profitable business relationship for the both of you.

My final thoughts on this subject: "Go find a Mentor if you don't have one already." They are pure gold for the future of your entrepreneurial business life. As you can see, there can be many rewards and the risk is zero! A Mentor is essential for the home based business entrepreneur.