Mentoring
Mentoring for founders and leaders who have to make the tech decisions stick
I work 1:1 with founders, operators and senior leaders who need someone that understands both the tech and the business - and can help them connect the two in their product, marketing and day-to-day operations.
Who this is for
This isn't a course or a generic "startup coaching" programme. It's for people carrying real responsibility, who want a thinking partner with deep experience in technology and B2B.
Founders & startup leaders
- You're building or scaling a B2B product or service
- You're making calls on AI, data, automation and tools with imperfect information
- You want a sounding board who has actually built and shipped things, not just advised from the sidelines
Leaders inside growing companies
- You run marketing, product, operations or a related function
- You're being asked "what's our AI strategy?" and "how do we do more with less?"
- You need to turn technical possibilities into concrete plans your team and execs can get behind
You're probably already good at what you do. The value here is in sharpening your thinking, language and decisions - especially where technology is involved.
What we work on together
Every mentoring relationship is different, but most of the conversations fall into a few themes.
Product & services
- Clarifying what you're really building and who it's for
- Turning insight into simple, testable product bets
- Deciding what to build now, next and never
- Packaging and positioning services and SaaS so they're easy to buy
Marketing & go-to-market
- Tightening positioning and messaging so the whole company can repeat it
- Joining up brand, demand, ABM and outbound into a simple system
- Using data and intent signals intelligently, without drowning the team
- Making marketing and sales tell the same story
Business processes & "how work happens"
- Mapping key workflows (for example: lead ? opportunity ? customer ? renewal)
- Spotting the friction points that slow everything down
- Designing a lightweight operating rhythm: meetings, rituals, dashboards that people actually use
- Working out what to stop doing as well as what to start
AI, tools & automation
- Separating hype from useful reality in your specific context
- Identifying high-leverage workflows where AI can augment or automate work
- Working out what to build versus what to buy
- Becoming more confident talking about AI and technology with your team, your leadership and your board
Underneath all of this, the real work is translation: turning complex technology and messy reality into clearer choices, trade-offs and next steps.
How mentoring works
The format is simple on purpose. The value is in the conversations, the thinking and what you go away and do - not in a fancy portal.
1:1 sessions
- Regular sessions over video (usually every 2 or 4 weeks)
- Focused on your current challenges and upcoming decisions
- Expect to leave each session with more clarity and 1-3 specific next steps
Light support between sessions
- Quick questions or sense-checks over email/DM
- Review of key documents (narratives, plans, decks, workflows) when it helps move things faster
- Not "always on", but enough to stop you getting stuck for weeks
Clear focus over time
- At the start, we'll define what a "good" 3-6 months would look like for you
- We'll keep coming back to that as context, while responding to what's happening week-to-week
- If your situation changes significantly, we'll deliberately reframe rather than drifting
You're not signing up for a lifetime arrangement. Most people work with me for a specific phase, then either "graduate" or we reduce the cadence.
What it's like to work with me
If you're looking for someone to nod along and tell you everything is fine, I'm probably not the right fit. If you want clear thinking, honest feedback and someone who understands both the tech and the business, we'll get on well.
- Plain language, even for complex topics
We'll talk about AI, data and systems in ways that a non-technical board member could understand - because that's usually what you need. - Challenge, not cheerleading
I'll ask awkward questions when something doesn't quite add up. The goal isn't to catch you out, it's to help you get to a sharper, more coherent story. - Bias to making things real
We'll write things down - narratives, decisions, simple diagrams - but only if they help you and your team act. This is not a theory seminar. - Respect for your context
I'm not going to force-fit a generic framework onto your company. We'll start from where you are: your people, your market, your constraints.
Mentoring, or consulting/fractional - which is right for you?
Mentoring / coaching is usually best when:
- Think more clearly and make better decisions, faster
- Pressure-test strategy, plans, or a difficult call with an independent sounding board
- Build capability (your thinking, your leadership, your operating rhythm) rather than outsource delivery
- Navigate ambiguity, stakeholder dynamics, or "I know something's off but can't name it yet" problems
- Stay accountable to the work you already know you need to do
- Keep execution in-house, with light-touch guidance and structure
Consulting / fractional is usually best when:
- Ship outcomes, not just advice: a plan, a process, a narrative, a system, a rollout
- Diagnose a complex problem and drive a structured workstream to resolution
- Lead cross-functional alignment (Product / Marketing / Sales / Ops) and reduce handoff friction
- Add experienced capacity to your team for a defined period (e.g., 1-3 days/week)
- Stand up a new initiative (AI adoption, GTM reset, positioning, pipeline motion) with momentum and governance
- Create repeatable operating mechanisms: scorecards, cadences, decision frameworks, enablement assets
Not sure which is right? In the application form, just say you're unsure and I'll tell you what I think after reading it.
Apply for mentoring
I work with a small number of people at any one time so I can give each relationship proper attention. If you'd like to explore working together, share a bit about your situation below.
I'll read it and come back to you with:
- Whether I think I can genuinely help
- Whether mentoring or a different type of engagement would make more sense
- A suggested next step