Tool Kit for Regenerative Enterprises: Mentorship

The keys to fast track success in the start-up and entrepreneurial world is found in accelerator mentorship groups.

There are accelerators for every kind of project you can think of and fortunately that means support for getting your project to the next level in the form of mentors.

I personally have been in about three accelerators this year and have learned so many helpful tools to use in my daily leadership responsibilities and when building community.

Here is an overview of 2019's accelerators I was accepted into:

Purple Prize: "We accelerate excellent teams with ideas for innovative technology products to start and launch mission-driven companies that amplify community and regenerate our ecosystems."



Mana Up: "Our vision is to fuel an economic growth engine for Hawai'i that can generate success for the local economy, support the high cost of living in Hawaii, and create well-paying, interesting jobs for locals.

Our goal is to create Hawaii's next 100 product companies earning over $10 million in annual revenue, and based here in Hawai'i. We support products rooted in Hawai'i that elevate authentic Hawaii stories through their brands."

Women's Earth Alliance: The 2020 U.S. Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders is designed to catalyze the critical efforts of women and women-identified leaders who have stepped forward to protect our families, communities, and ecosystems from environmental and climate threats. This Accelerator supports a diverse group of women leaders from across the country to deepen their strategies for change, build powerful alliances within and across movements, and scale their solutions for environmental protection,
health, and justice.

As an entrepreneur working in a historically, predominately  male environment such as agriculture and food, I've been able to scale my ideas and reach through having mentors and learning best practices in these accelerator programs.

Step 1 to gaining mentorship is highlighting a company or person you consider successful or an attribute you admire. Learning from mentors or successful entrepreneurs who share their stories and best practices can save you a lot of time and even mistakes. Learning from other's mistakes means you aren't costing time and money on issues that could have been avoided. I have many mentors that I've had the opportunity to work with over the past few years while in leadership at Voyaging Foods. Choosing new mentors based on up-leveled challenges is something I do annually. I usually highlight a new business or person who has an idea that has resonated with me and then I will learn more about their methods and models.

This year I'm learning more about The Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institute to deep dive into financing, marketing, organizational challenges, finding personal balance, managing change, and the many other areas that are fundamental to growing an enterprise.

Aloha,

Brynn