Duane Combs
Every new beekeeper probably hears that they need to do three things:
- Learn about bees and beekeeping
- Find a local bee club
- And finally, find a mentor
When I got my business degree and headed out into the real world, people told me to find a mentor. I looked and I looked but I could not find a person who was on the leading edge of business who would mentor me. Yes, I did find people who were at the ends of their careers who would mentor me or talk about the good old days. And some of their advice was very helpful but not state of the art. Until one wise old bird told me to go to work for leading edge companies and to only care about who I worked for. Help that person be more successful, and they will “mentor” you and open doors for you.
Helping successful people be more successful was the best advice I have ever received. Find the best boss you can and help them be more successful, and they will help you be more successful and open doors for you. After a few years, I started having people wanting to work for me and help me be more successful. Before I knew it, I was being seen as a leader in my marketplace and companies were seeking me out to help them reach their goals. I have used this way of working in three different industries and have become a leader in all of them. You may think working this way is some new idea but it is not.
For a thousand years the Roman Empire ruled the World using this very system. Rich and powerful “Patrons” would let ambitious, smart and hard-working individuals help them reach their goals. These “Clients” may go to work for their Patron or they may just help their potential Patron in any way they could. Once the Patron formally took on a Client, they would be introduced to the right people and invited to the right parties with the Patron’s support. The Client might or might not ever formally work for the Patron but together they were part of a network or team. As a Client grew in power, they would become Patrons for their own Clients. These networks of Patrons and Clients are how the Romans held power and developed talent for a thousand years.
The Patron/Client networks exist in our world you just do not hear about them. The founders and early employees of PayPal are known as the “PayPal Mafia” in Silicon Valley and their hands are everywhere in what happens in Silicon Valley. Two of their members are Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel has been a founder, prominent venture capitalist and has become a political king maker. When Thiel gave a lecture to 20 students at Yale Law school, JD Vance and Vivek Ramaswamy were there. Both became Clients of Thiel and when Vance ran for the Senate, Thiel gave him $10,000,000 to win the election. When Trump/Vance won the election and took over the White House, there was the PayPal mafia with Thiel, Musk, Vance, Ramaswamy and others.
Let’s get back to my beekeeping and how I help those who want to be beekeepers. Arizona Beekeepers LLC sells 150 to 200 nucs a year with at least half of the sales to new beekeepers. I also serve as president of our state beekeeping organization and past president of one of our local clubs. Lots of beekeepers ask me to mentor them and come out and look at their hive(s), and I have to tell them I am just too busy and that I would have to charge them a $1 per minute from when I leave my yard until I get back, but if they want to commit to working in my bee yard I can always use the help after they sign the liability release. I am willing to take them on as a Client but I am not willing to be their mentor (servant). We live in a time when people think they are entitled and things are free, neither is true. Look at our bee hives, no one gets a free ride. All contribute and do their job or they are gone.
I want to help every person who wants to be a beekeeper in Arizona but each of us has only 24 hours in a day. I love talking to beekeepers, especially new beekeepers because they face a 70% failure rate and usually leave beekeeping after 3 failed years. Almost anyone can be a successful beekeeper if they learn the craft. My first question is always: why do you want to keep bees? Some just want to keep a few hives to watch and collect a little honey. Some want to raise and sell bees like me or queens. Others want to sell honey or other bee products and still others want to do pollination. To all I tell them that they can work with me and I will teach them the craft. To those who want to sell queens after they learn the basics, I sell them queens that I buy by the hundred at my price so that they can start building their network of buyers. For those who want to sell honey, I’ll sell them my bottled and labeled honey for one third off so that they can build their network of buyers. Then when they are ready, I sell them honey by the gallon so that they can bottle their own. For those who need wax or other bee products, they can collect and buy from me at below market prices. For anyone who will help me make beekeeping more successful in Arizona I’ll help them be a successful beekeeper and become part of our network.
To all of you who are in bee clubs or help other beekeepers, please do not be a mentor but do be a Patron with the most successful Clients possible. It just works better and is a win-win for all!