Any advice on finding a mentor?
Hey everyone, I'd love to hear about people's experiences and advice when it comes to finding mentors.
I'm at an early stage of launching a saas business and feel I would benefit from connecting with someone who has been through it before.
I don't have any saas-founders in my network which is why I want to try and build a relationship with some new people. Obviously there aren't many in-person networking opportunities right now...so reaching out to people on LinkedIn seems like the best first step?
- What's the best way to identify a good potential mentor?
- What approach have people had success with? I'm conscious that any mentor will be giving up their time for free which is a big ask.
- Should I focus on finding someone with the most relevant industry experience?
- Is it better to wait till I have a specific problem or issue I want help with?
- Any other thoughts or advice?
Thanks,
Jamie
Have a look at MentorCruise or GrowthMentor.
Thanks Rosie
I used Linkedin and private messages to people I thought would be helpful. I just asked them to meet for coffee. I started with scientists in AI and ended up talking to CEOs of successful startups. From that list, it became clear who was helpful and who was not.
What occurred was one person told me to talk to another. Once you are in the second or third level, the people you are talking too are the big players. They may be open to being a mentor or will recommend someone who is.
My mentors now are two steps down from the famous names in Tech.
Thanks Todd
I would recommend getting on Twitter. There's an active community there in tech. Following interesting people and founders. Get involved in the conversation. My number one piece of advice is don't ask someone to be your mentor. That's a bit old fashioned. Get involved in the community and those relationships will happen organically. Good luck!
OK great, thanks, will do. I've logged into Twitter about twice in my life so sounds like I'd better get active!