How to Find and Woo a Power Mentor

 They're the power mentors--those individuals who have achieved the highest levels of success and can offer start-ups a long-view perspective and wide network of contacts and resources.

For the founders of Crunchyroll, a San Francisco-based platform for Japanese anime and Asian content, that guidance came in the form of former Hulu CTO Eric Feng, who is helping them carve a niche in the competitive online premium video sector. Crunchyroll's CEO, Kun Gao, says having access to Feng's experience and vision is "like shining a spotlight on the path so we don't waste resources going down a path that might not work."

Finding and enlisting a mentor--one with the experience, connections and coaching ability you crave--is not easy, especially if you're not in an entrepreneurial hotbed like Silicon Valley or New York City. Connecting with and impressing them requires equal parts sleuthing, networking and chutzpah. Here are some tips learned from business founders who went all out to line up the guidance they needed.

First, know what you're looking for. To pinpoint the right person, determine exactly what it is you need, advises Loyola Marymount University management professor Ellen Ensher, co-author of Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most Out of Their Relationships. Are you trying to build a client base? Do you need financial advice? "That's going to tell you where to look for your power mentor," she says.

Kun Gao, CEO of Crunchyroll, protégé and Eric Feng, former Hulu CTO, mentor

Go back to school. If you don't have a specific person in mind, contact colleges, universities and incubators in your area. Many are actively encouraging entrepreneurship and may have high-profile mentors ready to help. Bertrand Gervais, a mentorship consultant and author of Who's in Your Top Hive? Your Guide to Finding Your Success Mentors, says these programs are underutilized. "I didn't go to Harvard, but I did look up every professor who was associated with leadership and mentorship there. I called maybe five of them and got two lunches," he says.

Work backward. If you've narrowed in on your dream mentor, tap LinkedIn and your alumni association for mutual contacts who might provide an introduction. Then it's time for some sleuthing. Where did the person go to school or work previously? What are his or her interests? Does the mentor participate in online professional groups or special-interest forums? Gervais says Quora is a good place to find thought leaders and see what kind of advice they offer in answers. Search for the mentor's name or for discussions about related topics. IdeaCrossing.org is another free platform that helps up-and-coming business owners connect with established CEOs.