Few things exemplify the adventurer’s spirit more than striking out on your own with a startup.

Entrepreneurs are marked by a rugged individualism and a by-your-own-bootstraps ethos that make most nine-to-fivers feel nauseous.

But too many entrepreneurs try to strike out on their own a little too literally. They try to do everything on their own, isolating themselves.

And this is one of the biggest reasons so many startups fail.

No matter how clear your vision is or how relentless your grind is, no one is an island.

If you want to give your startup a better chance to succeed, you need to consider finding an entrepreneurship mentor. 

Here are seven benefits of business mentoring that you can’t afford to ignore.

1. Get Honest Feedback

We all make mistakes. This is unavoidable.

And sometimes, other people can see us headed for disaster while we’re still too wrapped in our own heads to see it ourselves. 

Having an honest voice around us to let us know we’re in the wrong can be absolutely invaluable.

But unfortunately for a business owner, most of the people around you might feel like they can’t give you honest feedback without putting their jobs on the line.

A yes man is a poor source for feedback.

On the other hand, a personal business mentor doesn’t have to worry about professional repercussions if they tell you something you don’t want to hear.

This makes them a rare source of honest criticism from someone who has an inside look at your company.

2. Benefit From Someone Else’s Experience

It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s even better to learn from others’.

And chances are, your business mentor has made their fair share of errors. 

Many of these mistakes were probably made in situations that look an awful lot like situations you’re in now. By looking to them for advice, you can learn from those mistakes without making them for yourselves.

3. Two Heads Are Better Than One

You’ve probably heard this phrase so much that it’s lost all meaning. But researchers have proven that it’s still true.

It’s also one of the most important benefits of entrepreneurship coaching.

We all have different life experiences, worldviews, and cognitive processes. Each of us looks at a problem from a certain perspective.

But sometimes, when you’re stuck looking at a problem on your own, you can start to feel like you don’t have a way around it.

Bringing someone else to the table-i.e., your business mentor-can bring fresh perspectives and help you see things that you had previously overlooked.

They could also bring ideas that reignite your own creative process, getting you unstuck from your funk.

4. Get Out Of Your Own Head 

The life of an entrepreneur is often a lonely one. You might network with other business owners or meet with your team, but at the end of the day, you do most of your work on your own.

And in those solitary moments, it’s easy to get stuck in your own thoughts. We start to doubt our business model. We begin to wonder why we quit our old job in the first place. Self-doubt comes home to roost.

With thoughts like this creeping in, it’s no wonder so many people hate quiet solitude.

Letting a business mentor into these thoughts can help shine a light on some things, offering some much-needed encouragement.

After all, your mentor isn’t just there to tell you what you’re doing wrong. They’re just as valuable when they’re reassuring you about what you’re doing right.

And when you’re charting the unknown waters of a startup, a little reassurance can be a great thing.

5. Model Growth For Your Own Team

No matter how great your team is, there’s always room for improvement. We all want our employees to dedicate themselves to continued personal growth.

You wouldn’t be happy if your star salesperson plateaued, would you? Of course not. You want them to be setting new goals for themselves and constantly pushing themselves.

But if we aren’t modeling that growth ourselves, how can we expect them to take it seriously?

As a business owner, you have a huge hand in creating the company culture. And if you aren’t growing, there’s a good chance that your company won’t be growing either.

Meeting with a business mentor can be a great way to push yourself to new goals-and get the fortitude to rise to meet them.

6. Entrepreneurship Coaching Grows Your Network

We all know the importance of a strong business network. We’re constantly looking for ways to increase our own networks.

In a mentoring relationship, those networking opportunities will skyrocket. As your mentor builds a relationship with you, they’ll begin to advocate on your behalf. They’ll introduce you to other successful business owners and potential investors.

7. Refocus on the Important Things

Being an entrepreneur often feels like being a firefighter. 

You spend your days running from one emergency to the next without an opportunity to sit down and focus on what’s actually important.

While everything that happens in your company is your business, not everything is your responsibility. Micromanaging every aspect of your startup might make you feel better, but it robs your mental energy from the big picture.

Meeting with a business mentor can help put the incessant nag of these little problems into perspective and refocus your priorities on the things only you can do.