Would any entrepreneurs here be willing to mentor me or give me some advice?

[Penguin]

I am a senior in high school ITCHING to start a small business and I'm just fixated over it. I will be starting college next year and NEED a lot of advice, and need to know how I can balance my academic life with my business life as I am obsessed over this and I am never going to stop obsessing until I actually go for it. Might be dangerous, but I have OCD and Aspergers Syndrome and if I want something and I am completely fascinated by something, I will keep trying for it and persisting over and over again.

Someone help me please, I really need some advice from an entrepreneur! Even if I could become friends with one!!

[vangogh]

Why not just ask us questions here on the forum and gain advice from lots of people?

[Harold Mansfield]

I agree with the above. You're already on a community full of business owners. Just start asking questions.
If you need one on one consulting or just want to speak face to face with someone try looking up a local SCORE office. It's a gov agency of volunteers that help guide you in the right direction.

Otherwise, you're already here. Read, observe and ask away.

[Penguin]

It's so much easier if I can just speak to someone online rather than constantly making a new thread.

[Harold Mansfield]

It's so much easier if I can just speak to someone online rather than constantly making a new thread.
Yes, easier for you. But time consuming for someone else whose time is money.

Crawl before you can walk. Learn as much as you can on your own before approaching someone and asking for free time because it's easier for you.
You can gain a lot of knowledge with Google, patience and a willingness to learn.

In life and in business, no one is going to take the time to do it for you and lay it all out. A successful business person is resourceful and self sufficient as much as possible.

I've given you an organization full of current and retired business owners who volunteer to help others. Isn't that exactly what you're looking for?
Contact them.
https://www.score.org/

[Penguin]

Yes, easier for you. But time consuming for someone else whose time is money.

Crawl before you can walk. Learn as much as you can on your own before approaching someone and asking for free time because it's easier for you.
You can gain a lot of knowledge with Google, patience and a willingness to learn.

In life and in business, no one is going to take the time to do it for you and lay it all out. A successful business person is resourceful and self sufficient as much as possible.

I've given you an organization full of current and retired business owners who volunteer to help others. Isn't that exactly what you're looking for?
Contact them.
https://www.score.org/

I probably should of worded this better, but I am not really looking for a mentor - just another business owner I can speak with and attempt to become friends with and exchange my ideas and would receive some feedback, that's all I am really wanting. Maybe I can learn a thing or two by someone sharing a few of their stories with me, etc.

[Fulcrum]

I probably should of worded this better, but I am not really looking for a mentor - just another business owner I can speak with and attempt to become friends with and exchange my ideas and would receive some feedback, that's all I am really wanting. Maybe I can learn a thing or two by someone sharing a few of their stories with me, etc.

That's describes this forum exactly. We will give you our honest feedback. It might take a few hours or a few days, but you will usually get a few good responses. There's a very well rounded group of regulars and I think that between us, we can cover just about any business question you can come up with.

[Harold Mansfield]

I probably should of worded this better, but I am not really looking for a mentor - just another business owner I can speak with and attempt to become friends with and exchange my ideas and would receive some feedback, that's all I am really wanting. Maybe I can learn a thing or two by someone sharing a few of their stories with me, etc.

Yep, that's what a mentor is. You may find a mentor down the road, but right now you're looking a gift horse in the mouth. There aren't many places ( or any) where you can get the guidance and expertise of many, many business owners that will help you, all in one place without a bunch of spam or solicitation.

Not sure why you keep ignoring that, or the very credible advice I gave you to contact SCORE which does exactly what you keep asking for.
Also the SBA has a list of mentoring programs and advice
https://www.sba.gov/content/find-business-mentor

And there are probably some state or local programs right where you live.
Have you looked into any of them?

[agape123]

Hello: I actually work with a Leadership development business that specializes in mentoring people. If you are interested you can email me at jeffreyshirley@att.net. My name is Jeff.

[Harold Mansfield]

Hello: I actually work with a Leadership development business that specializes in mentoring people. If you are interested you can email me at jeffreyshirley@att.net. My name is Jeff.
Hi Jeff,
Can you tell us more about the leadership development business. Such as the name. Do they have a website that we could all look at?
Generally we don't allow direct solicitation, and it looks suspect when it's from a person with one post, on a free email address, and not on a company email as if you really are a representative of them.

However, the OP did ask for information about this, so I'd like to know that you're not just some guy who's going to take this kid for a ride and that the nameless organization that you say can help him actually exists.

[carloborja]

To get the discussion flowing for you @Penguin, what are you passionate about?

What business idea are you looking to pursue and how are you planning to execute it?

Just by sharing that information I'm sure you'd get a ton of fantastic advice here.

[Penguin]

Yes, easier for you. But time consuming for someone else whose time is money.

Crawl before you can walk. Learn as much as you can on your own before approaching someone and asking for free time because it's easier for you.
You can gain a lot of knowledge with Google, patience and a willingness to learn.

In life and in business, no one is going to take the time to do it for you and lay it all out. A successful business person is resourceful and self sufficient as much as possible.

I've given you an organization full of current and retired business owners who volunteer to help others. Isn't that exactly what you're looking for?
Contact them.
https://www.score.org/

I really dont want to ring them up though when I can just ask people on here who are probably just as credible as the people part of the SCORE organization. Thanks though.

[Penguin]

To get the discussion flowing for you @Penguin, what are you passionate about?

What business idea are you looking to pursue and how are you planning to execute it?

Just by sharing that information I'm sure you'd get a ton of fantastic advice here.

I am interested in a lot of things, but for now I am just focusing on opening a small health-foods related business. I plan on selling bottled juices at my local farmers market next year, and really need help on where I could look to get graphics for the bottle (just a small design to show off the brand, and yeah it would be a juice brand, not just a bottled juice). I also need help on where I can get approved by the health board and where I can get nutritional value listings on the stuff I'd be selling and what licenses I'd need. I've looked everywhere and I've found information on costs to run a stall, cost of the produce, a commercial juicer which I'd use at home, and how much I could get for plastic bottles for juices in bulk and I'm fine with those things. I just need a lot of help with getting the product approved by the health board or whatever it is called (I forget), and what licenses I'd need or if I needed any at all, and where I'd go to get some sort of graphic labeling for my bottles.

[turboguy]

When you get to the point that the graphics for the bottles are the next thing on the list I can help you with that. We repacking things into bottles, jugs and pails and buy labels for all those plus use them on our machines. Actually I have a meeting Wed morning with the sales manager of a major label maker. I can put you in touch with lots of label makers who combine high quality with low prices. The minimum orders are not real bad either.

Now if I could find sources of the jugs, bottles and pails that was more cost effective that would be a plus. We repack one product into a gallon sized pail. We buy the pails about 500 at a time. For the price I pay for them I could go to an Aldi's grocery store and buy a very similar pail. The only difference is the pail I would buy from Aldi's would come with a gallon of ice cream at the same price as the empty pails at US Plastics.

[Penguin]

When you get to the point that the graphics for the bottles are the next thing on the list I can help you with that. We repacking things into bottles, jugs and pails and buy labels for all those plus use them on our machines. Actually I have a meeting Wed morning with the sales manager of a major label maker. I can put you in touch with lots of label makers who combine high quality with low prices. The minimum orders are not real bad either.

Now if I could find sources of the jugs, bottles and pails that was more cost effective that would be a plus. We repack one product into a gallon sized pail. We buy the pails about 500 at a time. For the price I pay for them I could go to an Aldi's grocery store and buy a very similar pail. The only difference is the pail I would buy from Aldi's would come with a gallon of ice cream at the same price as the empty pails at US Plastics.

Hi Turbo thank you very much for your help. I DEFINITELY need a contact of some sort for the graphics. I've been looking everywhere and it's irking me. When I mention graphics though - I mean helping me create the brand logo. The goal is to create something modern and simple. Also I've already found bottle manufactures and I've negotiated prices, so I am fine with that. If you can get me info on your graphic thingy or a partner of yours (whatever) -- that'd be great and extremely helpful.

[Anoura929]

Hi Turbo thank you very much for your help. I DEFINITELY need a contact of some sort for the graphics. .
The packager will most likely have someone that they work with that does branding and knows how to implement logos and heath info into/onto the packagers' bottles because they would be familiar with each others services.