The Importance of Mentors

LONG-TERM VISION & MENTORS

By Bill Reynolds

My mentors died long ago.

Peter Braun

Recently, while listening to Peter Braun speak about his own mentors at the Boy Scouts’ Outstanding Citizen of the Year dinner (an honor I was once fortunate to receive), it dawned on me just how critical mentors were in my life.

I’ve been the beneficiary of many people lending a hand along the way. But a few, at just the right time, gave me guidance that changed the course of my life. Looking back, I realize how timely—and how vital—their advice was. At the time, I probably didn’t even understand what “mentoring” meant. I was just an ambitious young man, eager to charge ahead. But they slowed me down, pointed me in the right direction, and helped me make decisions that shaped the success I enjoy today.

I never had the chance to tell them how much their influence meant to me. That’s something I regret. Only now, later in life, after hearing Peter’s reflections, do I fully grasp just how important those mentors were in guiding me. And since they’ve passed away, I can no longer thank them personally.

But I can pay it forward.

A Mentor Story: Bill Moore of Moore Realty

After serving in the Navy, I returned to Boulder and went to work for my father in his side real estate business. My dad was an attorney, and his upbringing during the Depression years shaped his cautious views on risk and reward—perspectives I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. As an attorney, he saw everyone’s problems, and perhaps because of that, he often seemed overly critical of me. I remember him once complaining, almost unbelievably, that my hair was too short. To my young, ambitious eyes, he seemed controlling and rigid.

Eventually, I quit and struck out on my own, though I hadn’t really thought through what skills I had to sell. In 1965, I interviewed at the largest Denver real estate firm at the time, Van Schaack. But their long, formal hiring process and endless paperwork left me cold, and I wasn’t hired—and for good reason.

So I walked next door to a smaller, more personal firm: Moore Realty. It had been founded by Max Moore and was run by his son, Bill Moore. Bill promptly hired me—no forms, just an interview, which I managed to ace. But there was no salary. I would only be paid if I made a sale. That was a revelation. Suddenly, the responsibility was on me, and I had to prove myself in the market.

Bill Moore

What made the difference was Bill Moore himself. He was there for his young, ambitious hires—guiding, encouraging, and teaching us what it really meant to succeed in real estate. Bill gave me the kind of timely mentoring I needed at that stage of life: tough, practical, but supportive. It was a turning point that helped launch me on my career path.

The WW Reynolds Foundation’s vision is simple yet profound: to enhance educational opportunities and empower youngsters to live a life of meaning. To live a meaningful life requires more than ambition—it requires guidance, tools, and values. 

That’s why my Foundation rests on three pillars:

1. Free Market Education – teaching entrepreneurship, business, and market principles through collaborations, gamified learning, and real-world simulations.

2. Financial Literacy – empowering students with lifelong skills such as budgeting, saving, and investing.

3. Civic Engagement – cultivating an understanding of the Constitution, civic duties, and good citizenship.

Though my mentors—including Bill Moore—are long gone and will never see what they helped me accomplish, this is what teachers in our society do every day: helping their students prepare for the future, often without knowing the full impact of their efforts. The real payoff of mentoring and teaching is not immediate; it shows up in the long-term success of their pupils.

That’s what I hope to accomplish with my Foundation: to invest in our youngsters so they can think long-term, keep our country free, and pursue our Founding Fathers' timeless words—Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.