We often talk about entrepreneurship as a journey. But what we rarely mention is that there are two very different kinds of journeys. The first is stumbling through the dark, hitting walls, and learning only from your fair share of mistakes. The second is having someone hand you a flashlight, showing you the path, and still letting you choose your own direction.
Because here’s the truth; even the most “self-made” stories hide a web of people who helped shape their journey.
Think about it.
Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs had Andy Grove.
Oprah had Maya Angelou.
Bill Gates had Warren Buffett.
Richard Branson had Sir Freddie Laker…
You get the picture.
Mentorship is everywhere. And that’s myth number one debunked: no one does it alone.
Myth number two? That mentors remove obstacles. They don’t. What they do is sharpen how entrepreneurs face them.
In simple terms: Mentorship isn’t about giving answers. It’s about asking the right questions. The kind of questions that make you pause, think differently, and see beyond the obvious, to uncover risks and opportunities you’d never considered.
That’s why at JA Malta we believe mentorship is one of the most powerful parts of the Company Programme. Students don’t just come up with ideas; they get access to mentors who can challenge them, encourage them, and stretch their thinking.
Because here’s the innovative angle most people miss about mentorship. People think mentorship is about knowledge transfer… For me? it’ about time travel.
When you sit with a mentor, you fast forward through years of trial and error.
You tap into the future by accessing someone else’s past.
Wisdom gets passed down. Experience gets shared. Ultimately, mistakes don’t get repeated.
And that kind of acceleration is priceless.
For our student entrepreneurs, this means that every conversation with a mentor could be the difference between giving up on an idea or taking it to the next level. Between pitching an average product and launching something unforgettable. Between seeing entrepreneurship as “too hard” and realizing it’s exactly what they’re capable of.
So here’s my invitation: if you’re a professional with experience to share, become a mentor. And maybe, years from now, a young entrepreneur will look back and say:
My journey started with a mentor…
