- How to find a mentor now you might be wondering
why you're in the car with me.
I'll address that at the end of this video.
For now that's one of the most common questions
I get from people, Dan how do you find a mentor?
(upbeat music)
Well let me take you back to the beginning
because when I was getting started
I was trying all kinds of ideas
and all kinds of businesses
and I had all these crazy thoughts and ideas
and want to do different things and wanted to be successful.
And I started and failed at 13 businesses
before having my first success.
Now during that period of time like most people
I was reading the books I read Think and Grow Rich
from front to back like 10 times.
I read How to Win Friends and Influence People.
I read so many of these personal development books
and success books and I was attending events
and going to seminars.
And all those things they helped to a certain degree
but I would say that I'm where I'm today
because of my mentors.
Now over the years I've had I would say two mentors,
who I consider two people that
are my mentors in my whole life.
Now although I've learned from different people
of course throughout my career
but there are only two mentors that I have.
Now the first mentor that I have his name is Allen Jacks.
And I met Allen when I was in my early 20's,
it's kind of interesting.
At the time Allen before he retired
he used to run one of the most successful
financial education company in Canada.
And at the time they were doing a lot of direct mail.
And I would be because I was attending all these workshops
I would get these direct mail pieces.
Now most people would think of those
as junk mail but I didn't.
And I would collect them 'cause I was
fascinated by how the marketing is done
and how he does certain things.
And I was collect these letters
and I would three hole punch them
and put in a three ring binders.
I still have them today.
And it would always come from this person
called Allen Jacks.
And Alan at time he was the founder of the
Real Estate Investment Network
and today it's a huge company he sold it many years ago.
Anyways, but he was the very first guy
who pioneered the concept of like continuity
in a membership program.
He was the first guy who pioneered kind of the
free seminar model in Canada where you would
get people to attend a free seminar
and then they would then offer them different
high end programs, (mumbles) programs.
Anyway, so one day I was attending one of these workshops
'cause I didn't have a lot of money
I would attend all these free workshops.
And sitting next to me, I looked at the name tag
I say, no it couldn't be
and I thought about it I looked at it again
it said Alan Jacks.
I said there's no way.
So I couldn't help it I asked I said are you Alan Jacks?
And he said yes I am.
I said are you the one that's sending the letters
and like the invite people to attend workshops
and things like that and he said I am.
I was the one who wrote all those pieces.
I said no way, like I said you're my hero.
And then he was first little bit like taken back
okay you attend my workshops.
No, no, no, no, not the workshop the marketing.
I love the way you do marketing.
I said I collect all your letters,
I put it in a three ring binders and I study them.
And he was little bit surprised
'cause I don't think he's ever heard of anyone
like acknowledge and gave him compliment on his marketing.
Although he is a marketing genius.
And so like a 20 year old kid,
and I said oh man I love what you do I admire you so much,
I said can I buy you lunch?
He looked at me and said okay, hmm,
I still remember what he said he said,
well what the hell I gotta eat.
And that's how we started a relationship.
I bought him lunch and we had lunch and then later on
I actually volunteered to work for his company
for next to nothing for a year.
And I would go into the office,
I would help him organize the paperwork.
Because we would were doing so much direct mail at the time
I would lick the stamps or I would lick the envelope.
It's funny because I was licking a lot of envelopes
and I didn't know 'cause it tastes horrible
after he saw me do a whole bunch of envelopes
like a few hundred letters
he said you do know, Dan you can use water right?
I said thank you. (laughs)
And I didn't know 'cause I thought God
this is like I'm poisoning myself here.
And the stamps and I would take those
to the mailbox, the mail post office
and that's how it started relationship.
That's my first mentor
and the lesson for that is
instead of asking yourself how do you find a mentor
I believe your mentor actually finds you.
That most people they think of
doesn't matter where you're starting
that you think well I want to be successful
I want to make more money, I wanna have,
whatever goals that you have,
instead of approaching your potentials mentors
as a, oh you are successful you should help me,
poor little me, don't approach it like that.
Approach as how you can add value to their lives.
Always give first before you ask anything in return.
And that's what I did.
I seeked on mentor I helped him
I worked for him for next to nothing for a year.
I wanted to add value to what he does.
Because understand this your mentor doesn't need you.
He or she's already successful,
they are where you wanna be in your dreams.
So think about why would they even wanna spend
know for spend and invest their time and effort with you?
You gotta think about that.
Don't come from the angle being selfish
or just because someone is successful
they're obligated to help me.
That's a very poor person's mentality.
Add value to what they do first.
And don't even go to them with an agenda
because thing about it I can tell you
when you're successful people come to me for two things,
either they come to me for money
or they come to me for a job.
You don't want to go to your mentors
with either of these two things.
'Cause then they'll categorize you as
oh this guy just wants something from me
or that he just wants money from me or whatever the agenda
but versus with Allen I just say I just wanna learn
and at the time I say anything I can do to help.
And he gave me more and more and more responsibility.
And he trust me more and more and more over the years.
And then later on he would just say you know what
you're doing all these amend work
why don't you help me do some of these marketing stuff?
And he started showing me how do you write copy
how do you communicate, how do you use words
to influence people
and that's the year that changed my life.
And that's my first mentor now my second mentor
and some of you may know if you follow my work
on my YouTube channel his name is Dan Pena.
And I met Dan kind of through his work.
I bought his book on eBay and through that period of time
and now both have been my mentors over a decade now.
And Dan of course taught me different things.
Maybe I'll make a future video on about my story with Dan,
I call him Big Dan Mr. Pena
And so what I'm saying is this
when you seek your mentor you wanna
find someone who you respect,
you wanna find someone who you resonate with.
Just because someone is successful financially
doesn't necessary make them a good mentor.
Because sometimes they are successful in a certain way
but you have to ask yourself
are they the ideal role models for you right.
Do you share the same value,
do you connect with them, right?
With Allen we connect on so many different levels.
Are you comfortably kinda hanging out with your mentor?
I think that's very, very critical.
That there has to be some form of connection.
Not just business but the social sense, right?
I think that's very important.
And you don't want to go to them where you are very
of course that you wanna spend time
you wanna get as much time with them as possible
but at the same time respect their time,
respect their space because they're also very busy
chances are if they're successful.
I think those what would be the main tips.
Now I do know that sometimes what holds people back
is that doesn't matter where you're at
and you see someone who's very successful
that you're afraid to approach them.
I can tell you over the years putting mentors aside
whenever I see someone successful
and when I seek help when I ask them for lunch
when I ask them for dinner when I just reach out
very sincere with no agenda,
I'm not trying to get money from them or anything like that.
I just want knowledge, nine out of 10 I can tell you that
people who are successful they're very generous.
I've been turned down maybe a handful of times.
Out of the hundreds and hundreds of times I ask people
I've turned down maybe a couple of times.
And it shows you that people who are successful
if you approach them with sincerity
they will say and at the time I was nobody,
I was just a kid and they was like
sure I'll give you the time.
And they would spare their time
and you ask good questions and I would take notes obviously.
And I learned through that period of time.
So those are good, so don't be afraid to ask
that's what I'm saying don't be afraid to ask.
And when you find that mentor
when you find that person, when you find the mentor
that you know this is who I want to learn from
you go all in, you just go all in.
Don't be jumping from oh I'll learn a little bit
from this guy, I'll learn a little bit from that guy,
I'll learn a little bit from that guy
you'll never get good.
Because it's the same metaphor
they use in marshal art right?
Let's say if you wanna learn karate
or you wanna learn TaeKwonDo you wanna learn boxing.
Just imagine this week you go to a boxing class
next week you'll go to a TaeKwonDo class
the week after you go to a karate class.
You will not get good at any one of them.
It's impossible but when you find something's
say you know what I wanna learn kung fu,
okay I'll learn from one instructor.
And usually you look at marshal arts they
stay with their instructor for years.
Sometimes decades to learn and master that art.
The same in business people somehow in business
they think they can watch a fucking YouTube video.
Oh I watched one video I understand this guy what he's about
it's ridiculous if you think about it.
But that's how people think nowadays.
And oh they watched one video, they're assuming
certain things about you.
And people same thing when they watch my videos
they're assuming certain things about me
but in truth they don't know shit about me.
Unless you met me in person, unless I have worked with you
unless we've done business together they don't know.
They don't know, but that's human being.
They like to pinch and hold they like to come up
with their own judgment and conclusions.
Anyway, so that's how you find a mentor.
Now this is a brand new series that we have
called Boss in the Bentley.
So what's going to happen it's on the way sometimes
during meetings or to work or to the office
that I'm gonna turn on a camera
I'm gonna answer your question.
So if you've been following my work for a long time
and you're dying to ask me a question
comment below, if it's a good question
I will take the time and I will answer it,
turn on a camera and do it kinda like this setting.
You can ask me anything you want about business
about success, about just what's going on in my life.
But make sure the question is not too
not just, not selfish, not just about your situation
but also about everybody else.
So ask me a question that's more universally
beneficial for other people who are watching this channel
that would benefit other viewers as well.
But I will take those questions
I will make a future video based on that.
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I'll see you in the next video.