Boiling Point - Episode 039 - Janna Hare

Introducing Janna Hare

There comes a time for every entrepreneur when they would relish the opportunity to pick the brain of those who have come before.  Mentors give us the power of knowledge from experience that we do not personally have.  They also can give us insights, short cuts, and anecdotes that can save greener entrepreneurs an immense time, effort, and money.  Normally, a person would have to stumble upon a worthy mentor, or beg an experienced person to share a few moments together in conversation.

Our guest this week, Janna Hare, is the executive director of an organization that is looking to simplify the process of people finding mentors and mentors finding mentees.  Janna helped to form the Mentra in 2014 with the help of 12 different leadership organizations.  Though they are currently only in beta testing, the plan is for Mentra to be a center of excellence for mentorship.  They seek to offer a sustainable community of credible and connected mentors through an online portal that will have social media functions as well.  Not only will the website be available as a database, but Mentra will be offering programs to teach those with experience how to mentor, and those looking for mentors there will be programs regarding how to get the most out of your mentee experience.  Janna hopes that the ability to find quality mentors quickly will help younger entrepreneurs grow and thrive in Atlantic Canada.

  

In this episode

Janna introduces us to the Mentra concept and tells us the importance of mentorship for both the mentor and mentee.  We learn the difference between mentoring and coaching.   Greg and Dave are both impressed with the steps New Brunswick is taking with innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.  Greg notes a difference he sees with Nova Scotia entrepreneurs being more competitive, and New Brunswick entrepreneurs being more collaborative.  He also sees the importance of being mentored and then passing on what you learned as a mentor.  Dave believes mentorship is critical and that the majority of major business leaders needed their own mentors to get to where they are today.