Why Mentorship?

As we look around Sioux Falls, we see an endless number of connections to be made among the thinkers, makers, and dreamers in our community. As an organization, our hearts beat for entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial journey is long, challenging, and can sometimes feel lonely—but we want you to know that you are not alone. We are lucky enough to live and work in a place filled with incredible business owners and professional experts who are ready and willing to provide mentorship and support to entrepreneurs and starters—whether they are building a social venture, creating the next tech business, or laying the groundwork for Downtown Sioux Falls’ next retail business. Whatever your dream is, we want to help you chase it. This is why we’ve built a network of mentors who are ready to listen, encourage, and help you connect the dots as you tackle the next challenge in your business!

What is Mentorship?

Mentorship is a give and take relationship between two people who are looking to better themselves both personally and professionally. Entrepreneurs face new and unique challenges in their businesses every day and, all too often, are left to deal with those challenges alone. What if, instead of tackling those challenges by yourself, you had a mentor that could help you by talking you through the situation— providing suggestions and alternate perspectives, connecting you with people in their network, and serving as a much-needed foundation of support? As a mentee, you should expect that a mentor is not going to solve the problem for you, and you should not see the relationship as free access to professional advice. Both mentor and mentee should expect to give and receive; a successful mentorship relationship is not transactional.

What are Founder and Expert Mentors?

As an entrepreneur, sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone who understands—someone who has been in your shoes. Wherever you’re at in your entrepreneurial journey, odds are someone has been there before. The founder mentors in our network can relate, and they can use their experiences to help you weather the storm.

Other times, you may desperately need an outside perspective from a professional expert. Our expert mentors work with entrepreneurs and business owners every day. With expertise in culture, manufacturing, marketing, team building and more, they may bring a fresh perspective to a problem you are trying to solve or be able to connect you with a professional who can.

Who Should Apply for a Mentor?

Startup Sioux Falls' mentor network is designed to pair experienced business owners with new and developing business owners that are creating new and unique business concepts. Startup Sioux Falls is currently not able to provide mentorship matches for non-founders, sales professionals, and real-estate agents.