Everyone knows that mentorship is a crucial part of professional growth, both for the person being mentored and the one doing the mentoring. Still, finding the right mentor – or mentee – and making time to nurture and develop that relationship is easier said than done.

To help kick start the conversation on mentoring within the promotional products and apparel decoration realm, PromoKitchen has put together a free ebook, Thrive With Mentors, featuring interviews with more than 25 industry professionals who have benefited from mentorship.

“The surprising thing most mentors find is that they often learn as much from – and grow as much from – their mentee as vice versa,” said Robert Fiveash, president of PromoKitchen. “A successful pairing can literally create a lifelong relationship that brings both value and joy to both parties for many, many years.”

Spearheaded by PromoKitchen chef Marshall Atkinson, Thrive With Mentors gathers a slew of stories of successful mentoring relationships. The professionals featured in the book also share their best business advice and make predictions about the industry’s future.

For instance, Amanda Delaney, regional sales manager at Top 40 supplier IMAGEN Brands, parent company of Crown Products (asi/47700) and Vitronic (asi/93990), gave the following words of wisdom in the ebook: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. This is something that took me a long time to do once I came into the outside supplier rep role, and it kicked me from behind way too many times. The mentality that you have to do all and be all will only hurt you, and you grow so much both personally and professionally when you’re able to be humble and ask for a hand when you need it.”

Copies of Thrive With Mentors are available for download on the PromoKitchen website.