--- title: Engage with Mentors description: Mentor meetings are opportunities to address challenges and gain insights that could change the course of your company. Learn how in the Techstars toolkit. --- - [![](https://toolkit.techstars.com/hubfs/Techstars_Logo_Black.png)](https://toolkit.techstars.com/../) - [| ← | Home | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/../) - [| 1 | Build Your Lean Canvas | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/build-your-lean-canvas) - [| 2 | Understand Your Customers | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/understand-your-customers) - [| 3 | Give Your Elevator Pitch | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/give-your-elevator-pitch) - [| 4 | Make Progress | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/make-progress) - [| 5 | Check Your Progress | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/check-your-progress) - [| 6 | Grow Your Business | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/grow-your-business) - [| 7 | Master Your Pitch | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/master-your-pitch) - [| 8 | Get More Done | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/get-more-done) - [| 9 | Brand Your Business | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/brand-your-business) - [| 10 | Blow Up Your Company | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/blow-up-your-company) - [| 11 | Engage with Mentors | | --- | --- |](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors) [![](https://toolkit.techstars.com/hubfs/ts-logo-white.png)](https://toolkit.techstars.com/../) ##### ENTREPRENEUR'S TOOLKIT # Topic 14. Engage With Mentors Mentor meetings are opportunities to address challenges and gain insights that could change the course of your company. Featuring thought leaders [Nicole Glaros,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nglaros/) former Chief Investment Officer at Techstars and [Anna Barber,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/annawbarber/) former Managing Director at Techstars LA, you will learn techniques for holding productive mentor meetings and optimizing interactions to move your business forward. ##### WATCH THE TRAILER: ## What's Included in this Guide: 1. Introduction: Engage With Mentors 2. Read Your Mentor 3. Redirect Your Mentor 4. Ask Better Questions 5. Build Relationships 6. Final Thoughts ##### Let's get started [Watch The Videos](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors#chptr1) [Do the Exercises](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors-worksheet) [Watch The Videos](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors#chptr1) [Do the Exercises](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors-worksheet) ##### Part 1. # Introduction: Engage with Mentors Surrounding yourself with mentors who Give First to help build your business can be game-changing for an entrepreneur. This video introduces our Techstars mentors who will teach you how to optimize your time and productivity with each mentor meeting. ##### Part 2. # Read Your Mentor Checking their watch, fidgeting or leaning in are all nonverbal signs mentors may give you during a meeting. This video will guide you on recognizing communication cues that indicate you may need to shift the conversation elsewhere. ##### Part 3. # Redirect Your Mentor During a meeting, the mentor could get hung up on a topic you don’t want to explore. This video will help you avoid going down conversational rabbit holes and provide tactics for getting the meeting back on track. ##### Part 4. # Ask Better Questions Entrepreneurs tend to waste time during mentor meetings describing what they do and failing to articulate their problems. This video will help you craft problem-specific questions for your mentor meeting to move your company forward. ##### Part 5. # Build Relationships The day-to-day business objectives are only a small piece of running a great company. Regardless of the mentor’s background, you can leverage their knowledge in other ways to grow as a leader. This video will guide you in developing lasting relationships with mentors who can help you overcome common struggles of entrepreneurship. ##### Part 6. # Final Thoughts Pats on the back are great, but you need mentors who will challenge you, and provide an authentic, real-world perspective about running a business. This video will help you choose the right mentors, dig deeper into the conversations, and gain real value from your mentor relationships. # Apply Your Knowledge Continue to the worksheet where you can turn your knowledge into action. [Go to the Worksheet](https://toolkit.techstars.com/engage-with-mentors-worksheet) ### More - [Techstars Home](https://www.techstars.com) - [Code of Conduct](https://www.techstars.com/code-of-conduct/) - [Store](https://techstars.myshopify.com/) - [Contact](https://www.techstars.com/contact/) - [Press](https://www.techstars.com/press/) - [Careers](https://www.techstars.com/jobs/) ### Partners - [Corporations](https://www.techstars.com/corporations/) - [Investors](https://www.techstars.com/investors/) ### Social [![BCorp Logo](https://toolkit.techstars.com/hubfs/BCorb.svg)](https://www.bcorporation.net/what-are-b-corps) B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. They also accelerate a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. 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