Seeking mentoring help in the UK
So I've reached the point where my idea is now out in the open, and having feedback from plenty of friends, family, colleagues and my further network I've not had a bad word said. Since taking some time out of my full-time role to develop the prototype, I've taken on a technical co-founder and things are progressing, at least from a code point of view, at a speed I hadn't expected.
I'm technical myself, but keen to concentrate on the customer and business side of things, hence taking on a technical co-founder who's far more interested in just writing code.
However I'm now in need of guidance and mentorship, I'm keen to grow the idea into an actual SaaS business, with possible investment and employees and I'm looking to the right places for company structure, help with pitch development etc.
Having listened to so many IH podcast episodes recently and specifically #31 Kevin McArdle's subject of acquisition, I really want to concentrate on areas outside of pure technical implementation itself.
Any help/pointers very gratefully received!
Hi Chris - congrats on the success so far (and on recognizing that a bit of advice from people who've been there before can go a long way).
A word of advice on finding a mentor - explain more about what your company does and what kind of advice you are looking for. I'm sure there are lots of entrepreneurs out there reading this post who could give you great advice but don't respond because they're unsure that their experience will be useful to your situation.
For example, I would be happy to chat with you about b2b SaaS (with SME and enterprise customers), initial sales and building a sales team for b2b SaaS, and raising angel funding. However I almost didn't reply, because if your product is based on blockchain or has a heavy SEO/social media component, then I'm probably useless ;)
A last word of warning - be very wary of the quality of advice given by mentors who spend more of your time together 'giving advice' instead of asking you questions...
Good luck!
Hi Chris,
I would highly recommend applying for Entrepeneurial Spark. Its a free startup accelerator. The founder of the company I work for joined it over a year ago and rates the support and mentorship he has received as being invaluable. I have been in the hub for the last 6 months and the network of other entrepeneurs I have met at all different stages of their business has been unbelivable and really eye opening as to what is possible. Really worth the time and effort to apply: https://www.entrepreneurial-spark.com/