Finding a Mentor
To give some background I graduated a little over a year ago. I’ve been interning with a brokerage for about a month now and am trying to decide how to find a mentor. The firm I’m working for now is having some problems retaining talent. They’re a statewide brokerage firm, and our office has had our two biggest brokers leave recently so we’re down to three. I’ve heard of two of them looking around at other firms and the third isn’t serious enough to work under. How do I go about looking for mentors in the area? Should I try to look for other companies to work for? How would I go about feeling out the market? I’m not sure if they would close the office or try to hire a heavy hitter from another firm if these guys leave.

Sorry if it’s vague I want to retain my confidentiality. Any guidance would be much appreciated! 
[{"id": "e5i5nyd", "text": "My suggestion would be to reach out to the heavy hitters in your market on LinkedIn. From there send them a message saying you're new to the industry and hoping to take them out for a quick coffee. From past experience, the majority of them will be up for a quick meeting. Which market are you in?", "replies": [{"id": "e5iiusj", "text": "The company I currently work for is in retail but I\u2019m not sure about the longevity of the market with retail spaces. I know currently a lot empty spaces are being turned into workout facilities or new juice bars. I like the retail side it\u2019s just very uncertain right now", "replies": [{"id": "e5itc0v", "text": "Which markets (major cities)?", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "e5i891v", "text": "Buy EVERYONE coffee. Just start calling up brokers and take them to coffee. Everyone likes talking about themselves, especially brokers. When you find someone who you gel with and who has integrity and WILL TRAIN YOU (very important), then you've found the right person.", "replies": [{"id": "e5inz2g", "text": "Thank you that\u2019s a great idea. What do I tell the company that I\u2019m working for if I have to leave the office during working hours?", "replies": [{"id": "e5io3cl", "text": "You\u2019re networking? Idk I always err on the side of honesty. Generally companies are ok w this because if you go on to be a bad ass broker then they have an in/preexisting relationship w a badass broker. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "e5j0pkf", "text": "\"I have a doctor's appointment.\"  \n\n\n\"A pipe in my apartment just burst.\"  \n\n\n\"My dog is sick.\"  \n\n\nYou know, if you don't want to come out and say what you're really up to. I'd go with the usual \"playing hookie\" excuses, personally. Or you can try the shock and awe approach  u/sbarretm just suggested: \"I'm meeting a guy to work on building my personal network.\"", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "e5ifgcf", "text": "Where? \n\nYou have your RE liscense? Everyone is hiring like crazy, should be no problem getting any sort of job. ", "replies": [{"id": "e5inv63", "text": "I don\u2019t feel comfortable saying where, to remain anonymous. It\u2019s just small enough that I feel it could give away who I work for. I am working on my license right now. I don\u2019t want to just get hired I want to find a mentor that will teach me how to succeed ", "replies": [{"id": "e5iq1hj", "text": "Alright, hopefully you have a couple of years before you need money, or have a family that can support you as you learn the trade. \n\nI would figure out what element of real estate you want to be involved in and then work from there. \n\nDo you want to be in brokerage, completely commission based? \nDo you want to be in development? Salary + bonus? \nDo you know where you are going to live forever? CRE is very location based so unless you are going to live in MI forever, it makes sense to move to a larger population center. \n\nThis is the advice my economics teacher gave me when I left school in 2006. This is the top of the market, get a job fast because it is going to get weird here pretty soon. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "e5iwy09", "text": "It's pretty easy to figure out where you're from (Detroit area?)\n\nI only say that because there is no reason for you to be holding back right now.  You asked for help and there are some quality posters on this board .... why hold back ?   Put it out there dude and go for it.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "e5j0bmz", "text": "You're not off to a bad start, but you may have to kiss a few frogs before you find your mentor prince, if you will. Are you on BiggerPockets? Have you tried local Meetups? What have you tried that hasn't worked? You can always hit BP and LinkedIn and start filtering by area. Check out the many successful investors putting out free educational materials (I've got a couple in my sub r/RealEstateContent who are actively looking for younger investors willing to go out and find deals).  \n\n\nIt would be helpful to know your area to give some more specific suggestions, but you're on the right track by asking people here. I'd also suggest just leveraging some of your personal and professional connections. Getting started can be as simple as asking \"Hey Matt, who do we know that has done well in X niche?\"  \n\n\nIf you're worried about your privacy, that's understandable. And smart! Keeping your name off of your rental properties will be important down the line.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]