Why did you decide to become a mentor?
It kind of happened by accident, while I was running a FashionTech start-up in Shoreditch (London) we used to be based in a great co-working community called “Launch22” (sadly no longer operates), but one of the perks of the space was an extensive list of mentors who helped the members – it was quite inspiring to see these experienced & successful individuals volunteer their time to help our little old start-up.
This always stayed with me, so after our start-up saw some success and they asked me to become one of the mentors I of course jumped at the opportunity! It was my entry point and it was better than I ever could have expected – we worked with social enterprise-style companies so being able to pass on some practical tips for growth really seemed to add value and there grow my passion for helping other Entrepreneurs!
How did you get your career start?
I always wanted to be an Entrepreneur, so much so that my University degree was actually in entrepreneurship. In my second year, I spun out a company we had built in our practical project and thus my first Start-Up CraftsCovered was born.
I was very fortunate to build up the company and exit it well in a short period of time – not bad for my first business! Instead of rushing into my next venture I actually went back to finish my degree and then worked in consulting for a couple of years to really round off my experience so in a way I had two separate career starts.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Entrepreneurship is a crazy ride, it is so unique and no one around you (unless you are lucky enough to have an entrepreneur in the family) will truly understand the journey – it is silly to try and handle this all alone (something I have been guilty of in the past), but essentially this is what it all boils down to and why I believe the majority of my Mentees come to me – they want someone who can understand and support them but also provide the cheat sheet in a way so they can focus on doing the fun stuff instead of being bogged down in decisions & anxiety.
This leads to a relaxed structure but supportive and aggressive in our ambition. Knowing when to use both approaches is important. Uniquely, I work with my mentees on the business, and help with personal coaching while also linking up my mentees – we have a good solid supportive community building. The peer-to-peer match-up seems to help discussions around topics that might not feel relative to the mentoring sessions.
What’s been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
I have been truly blessed to work with a variety of amazing Entrepreneurs and ever increasingly people working at Start-Ups – really inspiring and the drive & motivation I see regularly floors me (in a good way) but honestly, I remember working with an older gentleman who wanted to set up a Caribbean drinks company for this local community – he couldn’t read or write well but his drive to succeed for his community was unmatched.
We simplified the process, focused on manageable goals and wouldn’t you know it by the end of the process he was selling dozens of crates a week – easily my favourite success story and truly inspiring to anyone who wants to start a company.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
I think if I wasn’t an entrepreneur I would have become a Sports Team Coach of some kind! I naturally love to improve my team and help individuals excel. Building all this Entrepreneurial knowledge can sometimes feel like a waste, so mentoring is a great way to pass this on and genuinely helps others.
While I always aim to help my Mentees I must admit they also bring great value to my life and career. I can be inspired by them for my own ventures and have even come to invest in some of them. Relationships are key in Entrepreneurship and I can truly say mentoring has benefited this tenfold.