The Fine Art Of Mentoring

Family-owned businesses typically have a set of shared traditions and values that are rooted in the history of the firm. As I grew up, my business opportunities gave me a number of advantages, the most common being freedom, independence, and control. With this, I imbibed the art of spotting doshams in diamonds from my father at the age of 15. In the event of things, I was also witness to inter-generational family disputes and contingencies. But as they say, “In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson. And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through.” It was the support and guidance of my fellow chapter members from the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) that made me sail through the bad times.

A proud member of the Chennai Chapter since 2001, I have served as the President during the most traumatic times of my business. Today, as the Area Director for EO—South Asia, I implement strategies for the organisation and help entrepreneurs identify and optimise skills to produce better results.

Mentorship is an invaluable tool in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. In 2014, I was one of the 20 members chosen out of 11,000 global members for a mentorship programme. It was this week-long mentorship training that completely changed my life. So much so that I took up a challenge to restructure and mentor a charitable organisation in Chennai. My experience helped me guide this organisation, and the entire programme was redeveloped specifically to suit their needs

As an entrepreneur, it is important to have an understanding of the consumer’s mind. The reason why I have always tried to evolve new design concepts. In
India, we have three major design influences —traditional, modern and western. Indian consumers look for the best mix of the modern and the traditional. Unusual materials such as rare yellow or pink diamonds, old cut-stones, rare rubies, wood, and silver have all caught the imagination of the discerning eye. While there is a market for lighter jewellery, clients continue to value classic pieces like the seven-stone diamond ear studs, solitaires and single-line neck pieces. The unconventional designs or ‘statement’ pieces will always be in demand alongside classic jewellery. Thus, we have created a brand, Recollection that combines the traditional with the antique.

Abhay S. Mehta is the co-partner of Mehta Jewellery in Chennai. A proud member of the Chennai Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization since 2001, Mehta is the Area Director for EO—South Asia and is actively involved in implementing strategy programmes for the organisation.