My first mentor saw something in me I had not seen in myself. He introduced me to people, shared his network freely, and never asked for anything in return except that I work hard and pass it forward someday.
My second "mentor" asked for 40% equity in my business in exchange for advice he could have Googled. When I refused, he spent six months telling mutual contacts I was difficult to work with.
The difference between a mentor and a predator dressed as a mentor: one gives before they take — or never takes at all. The other calculates your vulnerability and prices it.
In the Naija business space, this is common. People with a little more access use it to extract instead of elevate. Be careful. A real mentor does not need a formal stake in your dream.
When someone who has made it offers to "help" you — look for what they gain before you accept. Most genuinely good people will not mind the question.
My second "mentor" asked for 40% equity in my business in exchange for advice he could have Googled. When I refused, he spent six months telling mutual contacts I was difficult to work with.
The difference between a mentor and a predator dressed as a mentor: one gives before they take — or never takes at all. The other calculates your vulnerability and prices it.
In the Naija business space, this is common. People with a little more access use it to extract instead of elevate. Be careful. A real mentor does not need a formal stake in your dream.
When someone who has made it offers to "help" you — look for what they gain before you accept. Most genuinely good people will not mind the question.
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