Ask Mary Kay Ash or Oprah Winfrey. Or how about Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay? Successful women know the importance of having a mentor.

Choosing a mentor is one of the most important decisions you can make as an entrepreneur and business woman. A mentor should be . . .

► an expert within your particular field or profession

► an inspiration to you and the people around them

► someone whom you admire and can trust

► a leader in their community

Here are 5 reasons why every woman who aspires to be successful needs a mentor:

# 1. A mentor is not personally ‘attached’ to your business.

Because it’s OUR business, we have a tendency to allow our emotions to affect our decisions. A mentor can be objective in their observations and offer solutions or alternatives to move us forward.

# 2. A mentor will hold you accountable.

When a mentor agrees to work with you, their time is just as important as yours and they don’t have the luxury of ‘wasting’ it. If you want to keep your relationship with your mentor, you need to be prepared. Not prepared? Then you’ll need to start looking for another mentor!

# 3. A mentor has “Been there, done that”

A good mentor will work with you to develop action plans to keep you on track. They can help you see the ‘big picture’ and assist you with setting the appropriate goals to get there.

# 4. A mentor is the perfect sounding board.

New ideas and opportunities will arise. As entrepreneurs, we need that ‘sounding board’ to bounce these ideas off of. A mentor can draw on his or her knowledge and experience to help you determine what will work best.

# 5. A mentor can be the difference between Good and Great.

Admit it – we’re good but we’re only one person. That age old saying “two heads are better than one”, is so true when it comes to business. Ask for help, seek council from business professionals who are more experienced than you and above all – listen!

And the final word . . . mentorship is a two-way street. You’ve got to give to get so why not be a mentor yourself? You’re smarter than you think and YOU can be the difference between Good to Great for that budding entrepreneur!