I agree with you that there is a crying need for mentors who are willing to help. Most of us would not be where we are today if it was not for a mentor.

Mentors who have already done what they are teaching others.

Part of this first group will be able to be mentors for others. Some won't because that is not what they want but some will. So this group will be feeding mentors back in to WA with in a couple of months.

Part of what is happening with this group is blazing a trail. We will be adding videos and training as we go along so that others can follow along and get help. It will be open and transparent so even though someone who is not in the group will not get all of it there will be enough to help people who follow along.

To be honest I am sick and tired of seeing people with good hearts, good work ethics and a strong desire to achieve come on the Internet to build a business and they end up failing just because there was not someone there to help them.

I am doing something about that and am going to do something about it.

Anything I can do to help facilitate what you are talking about and what David is doing I am more then willing to do it.

My thing this year was to quit talking about it and just do it.

Onward and Upward

Bo

Yes, Mike...This is why I am putting something together that is an offshoot of what Bo is doing...Whereas he is taking on 5 members, I believe, what I am suggesting is more groups based on niches...

I have posted 3 blogs on this to now, in December and at the start of this year, and after one more will post the first foundational post where members can select the niche or market segment they would like to be a member of...

These groups will be self-directed, some basic guidelines for what groups should consist of and what should happen within the group regarding activities and behaviors.

This is what I have posted to now...

Normally there will be members and a leader of one sort or another too...So the next post will cover what each individual member should be prepared for, as well as what can be expected of a group leader...

Once we get the foundational posts published by segment or niche, in the comment section members can start adding in their preference.

I will see how we might match up members, but i am thinking a mix of newer and more experienced members might be good, and total group sizes between 6-8, more or less...

The agenda would be set by the members themselves, based on needs of members, and some goals set collectively that all agree to work on together.

Support for one another and a more personal one to one communication can take place, members can support and push one another a bit, and things get done...

The group leader role can be rotated between group members, giving each a chance to serve and learn from the experience. Lessons learned can then be communicated to other members and perhaps shared with us all...

I would also like to have a published venue to share any lessons learned, successes and less than stellar successes so all members here can learn from what the groups are learning...

For the moment, the success posts can suffice for this purpose until Kyle and Carson come up with something more fitting if this proves to be successful.

Let's see how this goes, I already have quite a bit of interest and people that are willing to get involved on one level or another. We have a lot of market segments identified and niches too...

The purpose is to help us all grow our online businesses faster, so I would hope this takes off... If it does, and Bo's effort does as well, I would hope that we get some involvement from Carson and Kyle...

Cheers!
Dave : )

I think ALL these mentoring concept are worthwhile. To new people there is a lot going on . If your computer skills are in want, you might find it easier to slip away than admit to all of WA you don't know what is meant by certain terms and how they will affect your idea of what is happening. Just a Thought Scott

I really enjoyed your post, Mike. Before I saw Bo's post, I was trying to figure out how to ask the community for a mentor willing to take me under their wing for guidance...but I was afraid to ask. Then I saw Bo's post. Your idea is terrific. I'm excited to see the new heights WA reaches in 2018 and I hope mentoring is part of that.

All the best,
Sue

Hi Mike,
I know this would be good in some ways. Not for me, I'm too unstructured & would be "late for class" quite a bit.
Maybe when I have more confidence it could be a goer.
So far I'm getting help from all you ambassadors & old heads, there's such great training from other students too.
But it's good that you are thinking ahead.
Cheers Jae

Well said Michael, I believe on those services should be within WA as well. I also joined up with Bo and great things are in the makings. Thank you for sharing such an important post.

And when I reached that level I will do the same for members coming after me. Just saying!

Great Idea! and what's really great about Bo's idea is the transparency! The Students report what is happening to the other members and we can see/read about their progress as a group! What an awesome plan!

NO BSing the community for self-promotion or taking advantage of others for the purpose of fulfilling their own agenda!

Good post. I've been looking for a mentor for a couple of months so the need is definitely there. I was unaware of Bo's offer, had I known I would have jumped on it. Your idea of certification or badging of individuals willing to mentor is great but we also need to understand that those people willing to do this have their own businesses to tend to which is a full time job for some. Either way, I hope the idea of mentoring comes to fruition sooner rather than later because I'm definitely in need. Thank you for the good post Mr. Kearns!

Hi Michael, what a great idea.Talking as a newbie, I would certainly support this. Even experienced affiliates can learn from each other. This would be an awesome new feature for 2018 and just think of the marketing value for the WA affiliate program. The deal breaker would be the certification to ensure the quality of mentoring.
I like the badge idea to indicate who has been approved as a mentor. Maybe there can be 2 or 3 classes of mentors and they progress through the grades as they get a certain amount of experience.
As it would take time out of the mentor's day, I believe it would be fair to have a fee for the service, maybe after 2 or 3 questions before you start paying or something along those lines. It will allow you to build trust in your mentor before having to fork out cash.

Thanks for the post. This is a good way to gauge the peoples feelings on the matter, then Kyle and Carson can make a call.

Mentoring is a powerful tool. In my previous career mentoring others provided great insight into what I knew, what I thought I knew and what I really did not know.

Teaching others is the best way to discover what you yourself know.

Mentoring here already happens informally through posts from many of the senior members and is greatly appreciated by those of us who are lucky enough to see them. The ability to create our own training is a great start that has been allowed by Kyle and Carson and should not be overlooked.

They have laid the foundation and all of us need to stand on it and move forward,

I like the idea of certification and badging, but I am not certain anything should be moved from this WA platform.