🎧 Episode 5 – What It’s Really Like to Work With a Mentor (And Why It Can Change Everything)

In this episode, Susie breaks down the truth about mentorship — what it is, what it isn’t, and why the right mentor can completely transform your business and personal life. She shares how coaching helped her turn a small interior design company into a systemised, profitable business she eventually sold, along with the mindset shifts and accountability that made it possible. You’ll learn the real purpose of mentorship, the myths that hold people back, and how to know if you’re truly ready for it.

Timestamps:

01:00 – What mentorship actually is

03:48 – How coaching transformed Susie’s business

10:54 – Who mentorship is not for

12:34 – Who mentorship is for

14:03 – Mentors vs. coaches

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Transcript:

Susie Batista (00:00)

Welcome to the Just Build It podcast. I am your host, Susie Batista.

Susie Batista (00:05)

And before being a full-time property developer, I built and sold a luxury interior design firm. That chapter taught me far more than how to run a business. It taught me about standards, pressure, and confidence. This podcast is a space to talk honestly about money, mindset, and all the small decisions that shape our lives over time. If you're building something in business, in property, or in yourself, you're in the right place.

Susie Batista (00:33)

This is Just Build It. Welcome to episode five of the Just Build It podcast. Once again, thank you for sticking around. This episode has been Requested, actually. And when I asked more people about it, I got the same response that people are curious and slightly confused about what it's like to work with a mentor or a coach. And it's something that I bang on about all the time. So this episode is dedicated to mentorship. It's going to be about what it is, what it isn't, and why it really matters, and how it absolutely changed my life. So just to be clear, mentorship isn't about motivation so much or validation, or somebody to just cheer you on and say, Yeah, come on, you can do it. I found that mentorship is really about making quality decisions. So a lot of the things that a mentor will talk to you about or a coach, you know. You know what you need to do, but you just get so confused. There's so many paths, there's so many different directions that you just don't quite know how to do it so you don't do it. And a mentor will absolutely hold you accountable.

Susie Batista (02:08)

And most people don't need more information. We've got a wealth of information at our fingertips. And now with ChatGPT and so much content on social media, there's loads and loads of information out there. But we need better judgement and sharper priorities and fewer expensive mistakes. Oh, my God. I've got three mentors now, which is crazy. And each one has saved me thousands. Trust me, thousands. And each one has made me thousands. And I think this is what people can't get their heads around, the upfront cost of a mentor. And when When I first got my coach, and I'll go into a little bit about coaching and mentorship, but I started with a business coach, and that was somebody that I found after doing an incredible Tony Robbins seminar. And I just asked somebody who is very, very... He's well known in the area. He's got a very established magazine. He knows everybody. And after this Tony Robbins seminar, I messaged him said, I need a coach. I need a business coach, and I need him to be the best business coach you know. And he just straight away sent me a message back within minutes with the name of my business coach, which is Mr. Carl Morris, absolute hero of mine.

Susie Batista (03:48)

And before I started working with Carl, my design business was okay. I had a couple of members of staff. We had a very small office, and the Projects were coming in, but I did not have a clue how to run a business. Not a clue. Anyway, I got Carl, and he helped me transform that business into a systemised, well-managed, well-led, happy team. I knew what cash was coming in. I knew what cash was coming out. I knew what made me profit. He pushed my boundaries massively. And ultimately, he was the one that helped me sell the business. This is a funny story. I was just going to close the business down. I decided that property was what I wanted to do. The demand and the stress and everything of working with these footballers and high net-worth clients, it gets to you in the end. And we were already doing property, doing doing big things. And so I was going to close the business down. And I had a session with Carl. And I said, Carl, the time has come for me to close the business down. And he just went, what? Close it. And I was like, yeah, I'm just going to close it.

Susie Batista (05:18)

And he said, Susie, you are going to sell that business. And when you think, wait, this is an interior design business. A, who buys an interior design business? B, I am the face of the business. See, I am just not the person who would ever sell a business. It's not me. And long story short, from that conversation to selling the business, we're talking about three months. Would I have been able to do that without a coach? No, no way. So I'm telling you all these little stories to inspire to really, really think if you want growth, if you want the next level, if you want to make clearer decisions, having a mentor or a coach is key. But something that I do need to I do need to touch on this, though, mentorship isn't a guarantee of success. You have to put in the work. And I believe that because you're made to be accountable and because it It's a hell of a lot of money. And like I said, when I first started working with a business coach, I did not have the funds. So it was almost £2,000 a month. Right then in my business, I was like, I just don't have a spare £2,000.

Susie Batista (06:49)

And luckily, because of this seminar, Tony Romen said, You just go for it. You will find the money. Have you ever been in that situation where you've got You've got something coming up or you've got a big payment or you don't know how you're going to pay something, but it always works out. You always find it. Trust me, trust me. That is what this is like. You find it. But it isn't a guarantee of success. You have to be willing to put the work in. And I know with all of my mentors, they've worked with people that haven't put the work in. Every single session, they've not done what is been advised, and they've let people go. So you have to put the work in. And a mentor won't so much fix your business. They don't just tell you what to do. They'll help your thought process, which is a sign of a very, very, very good coach. Don't just expect somebody to come and just give you a blueprint and tell you what to do and say, go on, do it. They'll make your brain And Carl always used to do that to me.

Susie Batista (08:02)

So what do you think about this, Susie? What do you think is the right decision? And I'd be like, Carl, can you not just tell me? And he'd go, Well, no, you need to figure this out. So then I'd start to really think and I'd go through my thought process and he'd say, Okay, that's good. But have you thought about this? Okay, but if you did that, what would happen then? And I'd go, Well, yeah, if I actually did that, then so and so might And he'd go, do you want them to leave? And I'd go, no. And he'd go, so maybe think about something else. So I'd have to think about something else. And in the end, I'd get there. And it was almost like he was doing those flow charts. Yes, no. But I was the one doing the thinking. Does that make sense? So, gosh, I really can't rave about this guy enough. And another myth that I've heard somebody say, which I I just think is crazy, that paying for a mentor means that I'm going to be seen as weak or behind or that I don't know what I'm doing in my business.

Susie Batista (09:10)

Oh, my gosh. Anybody who thinks that needs serious mindset shifts. I just think that's really sad. And all you're thinking about is what other people think. That's all you care about, what other people think versus what is best for your business and what is best for you? So if that's you or if those thoughts have ever cropped up, that's something deeper that you need to work on. Because working with a mentor is one of the bravest, strongest things that you could actually do. So let me just explain who I believe mentorship is for and who it is not for. So who it is not for, let's start with that. It's not for people who just need constant reassurance instead of taking responsibility. It's not for somebody that just needs a yes man. And it's not for people looking for shortcuts. Yes, it can save time and it can save money, a lot of money from learning from mistakes, but it's not a quick scale to six figures in one month thing. It really is be in it for the long run, but let's grow quicker than what you would have done without me. It's not for people who put the blame on everybody else and everything else.

Susie Batista (10:54)

They blame the market, they blame their clients, they blame timing. If that is you as a person, then you're really going to struggle working with a mentor or a good coach because they won't take that. Which leads me on to, it's not for people who aren't willing to act on uncomfortable feedback, because, again, any good mentor, any good coach is going to give you honest feedback that you have to swallow. Yeah, kick back if you want. But you really have to listen to them because they've got your best interest at heart. And where does it make sense? So who is mentorship for? I would say mentorship is for people that are putting in massive effort, but it's not creating the results. So there's a link missing. And it's for people who seem to be very, very busy, but absolutely unclear on the direction. It's for people that seem to be growing, but the whole business feels unorganised and chaotic and unsystemised. And it's for people that when you've got decisions to make and big decisions, you really carry that weight on your shoulders alone. Mentorship is incredible for that. So just to end this, what I would say the difference between mentorship and a coach.

Susie Batista (12:34)

My business coach, for example, he coached a lot of different businesses. So I was an interior design firm. He coached big banks. He coached people that played professional golf. He was a coach in business. Now, we've got a mentor. We've got two other mentors. So we work with an incredible lady called Jo. So she is our property mentor. And a mentor is somebody that is very specific in a certain area. I am a mentor. I wouldn't feel comfortable calling myself a coach and coaching a variety of businesses. But what I can do very, very well is mentor people within an industry that I know inside and out. So that's with home staging, with interior design, and with the startup of property. So our mentor, Jo, she just mentors us on properties. Every session that we have, we go through all of our deals, we go through the numbers, we go through the strategy, all those sorts of things. And then my other incredible mentor Dawn. So Dawn's speciality is women scaling to 100K a month and personal branding. So she's a specialist in that. And so that's why I have Dawn for this side of the business.

Susie Batista (14:03)

So if this episode has made you pause and reflect on how you are actually making your decisions and a feeling of wanting to do more and grow more, but just needing clarity and strategy and organisation and more focus, that's usually an incredible signal. Don't ignore it, please, because working with the right mentor or coach could absolutely change your life. Because not only does it change your business, it can change your personal life. It changes your mindset. I know that it did that for me. And if anybody wants to explore what mentorship looks like with me, then please just drop me a DM. There's a link in my bio that takes you straight to WhatsApp. We can jump on a discovery call. It's free of charge, and it just helps me get to know you a bit better, you get to know me a bit better, and see how we can potentially work together. Have a great day, whatever you're doing, go and thrive and take that massive action, and I'll see you on the next episode.