Mentorship by Accident – How One Unexpected Encounter Changed My Life

Hey business community,

Today, I want to share a story about my first mentor and how our accidental meeting changed the course of my life.

I was a 26-year-old junior at Alabama State University (ASU), studying in the School of Business. Every month, we were required to attend business meetings where prominent leaders would come to speak. One particular meeting still stands out to me—it featured a successful entrepreneur named Kenneth Brown, who owned multiple McDonald’s franchises in Chicago. He was a 45-year-old African American business leader who had built his success from humble beginnings, and his story felt so close to mine.

Mr. Brown talked about the importance of seeing success before you actually have it, about living out your vision in your mind and heart long before it’s in your hands. He said something that struck me deeply: the idea of becoming successful from the inside out, envisioning and living as if you were already where you wanted to be.

After his speech, I knew I had to meet him. I made my way over, introduced myself, and asked him, “If you were me—a 26-year-old college student with no clear vision of where you want to go—what would you do?”

His answer changed everything. He looked me in the eye and said, “Find something you love to do, something you’d do even if you weren’t getting paid, and make it your job. Do it so well that people would happily pay you for it.”

I’d never heard advice like that before. It was simple, yet so powerful. Though we never spoke again, his words sparked something in me. A month later, I found a new mentor right on campus in the computation lab. This mentor taught me everything he knew about computers, from hardware to effective communication between systems.

Back then, understanding how to make computers talk to each other was a big deal, and this knowledge was gold for me. At the time, I was majoring in Computer Information Systems and Business Administration, learning the theory of computer programming while gaining hands-on skills through my mentor.

Six months later, I launched my first business—a computer repair company. And five years after that, I took it further and started a software and marketing company. Looking back, I realize that without the wisdom I gained from that one conversation with Mr. Brown, I might never have found the path I’m on today.

Now, here I am, 47 years old, running my own business, still guided by that advice to make my passion my work and do it so well that people can’t help but want to pay for it. It all started with one unexpected moment, one mentor by accident.

I hope this story reminds you that sometimes the guidance we need finds us in the most unexpected ways. Stay open, be willing to listen, and you might just find your next inspiration when you least expect it.

Keep pushing forward,

Eric Ahmad

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