Mentorship in Laboratory Medicine

Most successful entrepreneurs had mentors that gave them free business advice. These entrepreneurs did not allow the advice to go to waste but they used the advice to pivot their business strategy for the long-term. Much has been said about the importance of business coaching and consulting and why every entrepreneur should find a mentor to help them through starting and organizing a business. Business advice can be just as important as funding in the early stages of starting any business. Finding role models and mentors can be hard especially in this era of social media where everyone has established themselves as experts. Mentors can be voices of reason, fonts of knowledge and sounding boards all wrapped up in one package. Great advice can determine the survival of any entrepreneur who is new to starting and running a business. All these principles are applicable to starting and running a Medical Laboratory. 

Sir Richard Branson is a billionaire businessman who understands and preaches the importance of good mentors. His mentor was legendary airline entrepreneur, Sir Freddie Laker, who founded Laker Airways and who Richard Branson greatly admired. In the early days of Virgin Altlantic, Sir Freddie Laker gave Richard Branson some valuable business advice that he still uses to this day. Virgin Atlantic lacked the big marketing budgets of its larger competitors such as British Airways. Therefore, Laker encouraged Branson to become to face of Virgin Atlantic and drive his own publicity for free. Everyone can do this today with social media. Laker said: "Use yourself. Make a fool of yourself. Otherwise you won't survive."