Need some perspectives on recent opportunity

[Solrac]

Well, I have a great mentor who runs a Internet Marketing service near my area. He is doing really well. But I was talking to him the other day about looking for opportunities to provide value or something along those lines. He took note of it and called me today. He basically told me he has a great opportunity in a new business which he would start, and I could be his salesman(this business would be a service for other local businesses). I would make money off commission, and eventually if I wanted to I could do it all myself (make this exact business just in different niches) I just wouldn't have his guidance.

I'm lost, I think this sounds like a great opportunity but my gut is feeling weird about it and I usually go with my gut feeling. But this is one of my mentors who's given me thousands of dollars worth of advice and guidance.
I hope I am explaining enough, and if not feel free to say so as I will try to elaborate more. I am trying to see if someone see's anything suspicious or of weird nature that maybe I'm just not seeing.
Any thoughts?

 

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[Vespasian]

What's the upside, what's the downside?
How much potential do you see for yourself? Which risks are involved for you?

Those are the only questions you need to answer. Based on your info I doubt that anybody can give you a serious statement.

 

[Solrac]

What's the upside, what's the downside?
How much potential do you see for yourself? Which risks are involved for you?

Those are the only questions you need to answer. Based on your info I doubt that anybody can give you a serious statement.

You know I think this is a great opportunity, I just think that my Slowlane sensors are going off with the "sounds too good to be true" alarm. There is a lot of learning potential. Sales, networking, etc. Downside : well maybe if I decided to finally do it on my own, I'm scared that I'd lose him as a mentor.
I don't have any risk he's paying for everything for the first business, I just see growth.

Idk why I asked, I guess I just wanted to be sure that it was a good idea to pursue. Since I'm not owning my own business (at least initially) I guess I was a bit nervous to go through with it.

I think I will go through with it.

 

[Vespasian]

You know I think this is a great opportunity, I just think that my Slowlane sensors are going off with the "sounds too good to be true" alarm. There is a lot of learning potential. Sales, networking, etc. Downside : well maybe if I decided to finally do it on my own, I'm scared that I'd lose him as a mentor.
I don't have any risk he's paying for everything for the first business, I just see growth.

Idk why I asked, I guess I just wanted to be sure that it was a good idea to pursue. Since I'm not owning my own business (at least initially) I guess I was a bit nervous to go through with it.

I think I will go through with it.

Without knowing anything about you, your business and your goals I'd say that having a mentor and some sort of playground is a perfect opportunity. Just make sure that you two are on the same page and that everything is clear right from the start. Write everything down and sign it. This is crucial. I saw a lot of good relationships turn ugly because the human brain likes to forget a lot of stuff and likes to interpret things in thousand different ways.

What would be your alternative? If you have some good ideas that you really want to pursue then it might be better to focus on your own business and get some input from him.

As long as you don't have to sign a long term binding contract it could be a perfect learning opportunity.

 

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[themaxx]

But this is one of my mentors who's given me thousands of dollars worth of advice and guidance.

Seems like a no brainer for me based on this sentence. You can always quit a few weeks in if it's scammy

 

[jon.a]

Seems like a no brainer for me based on this sentence. You can always quit a few weeks in if it's scammy

But keep your wallet in your pocket.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

He took note of it and called me today. He basically told me he has a great opportunity in a new business which he would start, and I could be his salesman(this business would be a service for other local businesses). I would make money off commission, and eventually if I wanted to I could do it all myself (make this exact business just in different niches) I just wouldn't have his guidance.

Can u provide more info? Selling what specifically? Hard to say one way or the other. Nothing in what you mentioned seems fishy.

 

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[AllenCrawley]

I'm lost, I think this sounds like a great opportunity but my gut is feeling weird about it and I usually go with my gut feeling. But this is one of my mentors who's given me thousands of dollars worth of advice and guidance.

Don't ignore your 'gut'. I've had gut feelings about people before but the majority seem to praise them which caused me to question myself. "If so many people are just crazy over this person maybe I'm just too jaded or cynical. Maybe I should be more open to them." Because of their popularity or celebrity I overlook and suppressed those feelings. Well, let me tell you, my gut has never been wrong.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

've had gut feelings about people before but the majority seem to praise them which caused me to question myself.

Seems like a derivative of pluralistic ignorance - whereas your thinking is in the majority but everyone's afraid to say so.

 

[liquidglass]

Of course as Vespasian said, without more info no one but yourself can give you a true perspective.

But based on what you've shared the only thing I see that's holding you back is fear, commission only can cause this fear to stir, but let me assure you, whenever you have a safety net (eg: salary) you also have a ceiling. By removing one you are forced to remove the other as well.

Working in sales, especially if commission is paying the bills, will force you to innovate, be creative, discover new perspectives, and grow as a person. All which are skills needed in going after your own business.

It sounds like your mentor trusts you enough to invest his wallet in you, and people vote with their wallet. He sees potential because you (in my opinion) are someone who takes guidance and applies it and aren't just looking for a "get rich quick" solution from someone wealthier than yourself.

If he's offered for you to run a business similar to this on your own later down the road I wouldn't worry about losing him as a friend or mentor, but eventually, you will become more of an equal than a student and this is when he'll help you set up your own business or "fly on your own" you won't be so worried then about losing your mentor because instead you'll become more of a mastermind of two.

Go for it, what have you got to lose?

 

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