Get All Access for $5/mo

Even Experts Need Mentorship to Reach Their Full Potential If it's your job is to be the smartest person in the room, find someone even smarter to guide you.

By Terry Rice Edited by Dan Bova

If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. But, what if it's your job to be the smartest person in the room? That's a challenge any expert may face, no matter what their expertise. Which leads to another inherent problem with expertise -- it's tempting to always go backwards and revist what you've already experienced, as opposed to trying new approaches. When you get that feeling, consider it a trigger to seek a mentor. I'm glad I did.

Related: Entrepreneur Insider Video of the Week: How Storytelling Drives the Purchase Process

After years of working in client-facing roles at companies including Facebook and Adobe, I started my private consulting practice. Although things have been going well, I recently felt compelled to do something different. However, I didn't know what "different" meant, or how to go about achieveing it. While watching Mike Koenigs' Entrepreneur Insider workshop The SuperBeing Breakthrough: Get Paid for Who You Are Instead of What You Do, I knew I wanted to connect with him one-on-one. Mike is a serial entrepreneur, 13-time No. 1 bestselling author, speaker and philanthropist. In fact, he's raised over $2.6 million dollars for the Just Like My Child Foundation.

During our session, which can be booked on Entrepreneur's Ask an Expert platform, he helped me develop a plan to increase my revenue and spend more time with my family. He also helped debunk the myth of passive revenue while providing me with a clear roadmap to achieve success on my terms.

Related: 4 Benefits of Finding a Mentor

The plan we developed is as follows:

  • Repurpose existing content to create a lead magnet
  • Publish and promote an on-demand course
  • Launch a low volume, high-impact offering for consulting clients

But, knowledge uninvested in labor is wasted. Thats why for the next 10 weeks I'll be sharing my progress towards goals Mike and I outlined via Entrepreneur.com and Instagram. You can join in by posting your own goals and progress as an Instagram story. Each week, we'll share posts from various participants on Entrepreneur's Instagram. Learn more and sign up here.

Related: This Beverage Entrepreneur's Mentor Pushed Her to Pivot, and Now Her Business Is Ready to Bloom

You can watch my mentoring session with Mike above; I'm sure many of you will pick up some valueable tips you can immediately implement.

Terry Rice

Entrepreneur Staff

Business Development Expert-in-Residence

Terry Rice is the Business Development Expert-in-Residence at Entrepreneur and Managing Director of Growth & Partnerships at Good People Digital; an agency that provides marketing and monetization solutions for entrepreneurs. He writes a newsletter about how to build your business and personal resilience and personal brand in just 5 minutes per week and created a revenue optimization checklist to help you multiply your income potential. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Science & Technology

Why We Shouldn't Fear AI in Education (and How to Use It Effectively)

Facing resistance to new technologies in the educational process is nothing new, and AI is no exception. Yet, this powerful tool is set to overcome these challenges and revolutionize education, preparing students and professionals for a future of unparalleled efficiency and personalized learning.

Business News

Apple's AI Has a Catch — And It Could Help Boost Sales

Not every iPhone owner will get to use the new Apple Intelligence.

Business News

Elon Musk Threatens to Ban Employees from Using Apple Products, Says Will Lock Devices in 'Cages'

The Tesla founder sounded off on X following Apple's 2024 Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.

Business Culture

You'll Always Have Anxious Employees if You Don't Follow These 4 Leadership Tactics

Creating a thriving workplace environment hinges on the commitment of company leaders to nurture and inspire their teams.