How do you give back to an informal mentor if you’re on a tight budget?
Hi Indie Hackers 👋🏾
How do you give back to your informal mentor if you can’t afford to pay money?
You know how sometimes you meet someone and without asking, they take you under their wing.
They spend a lot of time guiding you and listening to you. To be honest, you’re not sure why this person is being so helpful but instead of obsessing over it, you decide to just accept the help and be grateful.
That type of mentor.
How do I show my gratitude if I’m on a tight budget?
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Share their content and thank them publicly within your network on social media or elsewhere. This type of promotion will give them lots of credibility and awareness, potentially bringing in new customers.
Thanks, Allison! Great ideas :)
I wanted to write the same. Word of mouth. Wherever I get something for free I make sure that I spread the word. Sometimes it's more valuable .
Will do Bruno! Thanks :)
I second this!! Thanking them publicly and sharing their content is a great way to show appreciation.
It can sometimes also be as simple as just asking them "Hey, is there anything at all I can do for you?"
Thanks, Gordon! I've tried asking directly but he always says watching me grow is enough. I'll start sharing his content and thanking him publicly too. Great ideas! :)
Haha yes I feel you on that. Often times mentors are just too kind with their time and genuinely want to help others grow, which is amazing.
I think sharing his content is a nice subtle way of saying thank you, and he will probably appreciate it more than you know!
Awesome! Will do 😊
How to Make people love helping you
-be curious
-show them how you use their advice
-be thankful
-ask how you can help them (even if rhetorical.) Maybe even just a reference.
-pay attention
-listen. Don’t defend your ideas strongly. Aka be defensive. You can explain your thoughts though.
-don’t talk much. People love talking and they’ll love helping you more if you let them talk a lot.
-be flattering and humble
good tips!
Thank you, Justin! Great tips :)
Such a good question! My take: Just because a mentor is more experienced doesn't mean they know or have seen everything. They likely want to keep improving and learning to. So I've been sharing learning resources that I've found helpful as a way to give back.
Great idea, Mark! I'll start sharing helpful resources :)
How do u normally meet these type of mentor? In work setting ?
share progress is a good one. People normally knows you will be able to give back in the future, they are not worried
Hi Kangle
I met him at a virtual networking event and we just clicked.
Great idea to share my progress! Thanks :)
that's kinda cool coz I have never met any mentor like that yet haha