Mastering Feedback: A Strategic Framework for Entrepreneurs and Mentors

In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, feedback is crucial for growth and success. Feedback refers to the constructive criticism and advice that entrepreneurs receive from mentors, funders, and other stakeholders. Studies show that the context and nature of feedback conversations significantly influence how feedback is received and acted upon

How To Handle Conflicting Advice From Different Mentors

As a startup founder, you face what feels like thousands of problems per day. That’s where a mentor becomes incredibly valuable: not only can a mentor help you avoid problems and accelerate your journey, a study by Mentor Canada found that mentorship is connected to positive mental health.

Techniques For Effective Speed Menteeing Sessions

Speed menteeing is a fast and effective mechanism for individuals to meet many mentors. At events such as Techstars, for example, founders can meet up to 120 mentors in 30 days in what’s known as “mentor madness.” Yet the idea of speed mentoring–meeting dozens of people in one day–can seem daunting and intense. But Brice Scheschuk, co-founder of MindFrame Connect, said that consciously embracing the experience helps.

How To Maximize The Value of Mentorship Meetings As A Mentee

Mentorship is a crucial part of building your career or business. For startup founders especially, working with a mentor can help you navigate choppy waters and avoid pitfalls you might not know about. However, mentorship meetings are just like any other business meeting—they will not deliver maximum value if not managed correctly.

Mentorship Lessons Learned From Half a Decade Of Entrepreneurship

Giovanni Angelucci, founder and CEO of Queen Street Bakery, shared his entrepreneurship journey and lessons learned for new founders

How To Become A Better Mentee

How to go from Big Vision to Action Plan when Goal Setting

Are you working on the right goals in your start-up? It’s easy to chase ambitious goals that could change your company’s future. However, you won’t achieve them if you can’t translate the big desired outcome into tangible milestones that you have some control over.Michael Ho, Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Graphite Ventures, calls this the “messy middle” of goal setting.

The Power of Storytelling

‍Since the beginning of time, storytelling has been used as a mechanism for teaching and influencing others. Generation after generation has passed down stories and experiences – both good and bad – in the hopes that those who come after them begin with a better foundation based on this shared knowledge.But, did you know that good storytelling can actually affect the brain of the listener?

Assessing Skills Gap

As an entrepreneur, seeking out mentors can be one of the most pivotal aspects of the growth of your business. To get the most out of this relationship, one must be intentional in the mentors they select and ensure that they are surrounding themselves with diverse perspectives and those who fill identified gaps in the business as well as personal skills set.

Mentor Personas

As a mentee, it’s important to do your research before meeting with a mentor to gain an understanding of their background, experience, and particular areas where they can provide support. It’s also beneficial to connect with peers who have worked with a mentor before to understand how best to be prepared for your interaction.Any experienced mentee will tell you that the more you connect with mentors, the more you recognize their patterns and personas. Understanding the mentor persona prior to meeting with them will provide you with a roadmap for your experience and what questions to ask to get the most out of your time.

Mentee Competency Checklist

What makes a good mentee? Talk to different people and you will quickly find that everyone has a different definition of what makes someone effective. ‍At MindFrame Connect, we’ve done extensive research on this – speaking to over 150 mentors and mentees – and it became clear that there is a recipe for success.To begin, a mentee must be willing to learn and be prepared to own the relationship. Beyond these points, an effective mentee needs a combination of the following:‍

Menteeship: Getting Started

Globally, top entrepreneurs and founders credit mentorship relationships with some of the most insightful learnings they received while developing and managing their ventures. Research tells us that entrepreneurs who engage in mentorship increase their skills in opportunity recognition, coachability, and resilience – even reporting the development of more profitable ventures than those without mentors*.

How to Prepare for a Mentor Session

The mentors we work with at MindFrame Connect are clear; the best mentees are those who come prepared for each session with clear goals, having done their research, and who provide regular follow-up. Mentees are responsible to drive the relationship where it needs to go. Here are some best practices from the entrepreneurship ecosystem to support your preparation for mentorship sessions.

Tips for Making Cold Calls

Top Three Picks: Menteeship

Through our extensive research on the topic of mentorship, we have compiled both the ‘Principles of Mentorship’ and the ‘Principles of Menteeship’ to best guide entrepreneurs on their journey. As part of the program’s asynchronous content offerings on the platform, we’re turning to our trusted advisors to speak on a variety of topics in a continued video content series, which includes today’s video from Nagar Rahmani, Partner at Maverix Private Equity. Having worked with thousands of mentors and mentees over the span of her career, we asked Rahmani to share her ‘top three’ picks for principles that have helped guide her journey as an established, and successful investor.

Mentorship Management with Derek Szeto

Derek Szeto is the current co-founder of Walnut, a serial entrepreneur, an angel investor, and has experience as both a mentee and mentor in the tech and innovation sphere in Canada. Here, he reviews the MindFrame Connect Principles that most resonated with him, and how he has used them to create value in his mentorships.

Staying True to Your Vision

Your Network is your Net Worth

Approaching the Right Mentor

Best Practices for Mentees

Leadership is a practice of practices, and for Ian Chisholm, Founding Partner of the Roy Group, developing new leaders is what mentorship is all about. For mentees, it is important to show up and realize that mentors are stepping up to provide a significant contribution to their career and are dedicating time to be a part of the entrepreneur’s journey.

Building Your Personal Brand

No matter where you are on your entrepreneurial journey, your personal branding has power, and it moves you to greatness. It compels you to create a more authentic, aligned story for your life and is a foundational component to your success as a mentee. In partnership with Globalive Media and Anthony Lacavera, in this video and framework we discuss the power of ‘Building Your Personal Brand’ with best-selling author, 5x TEDx speaker and Founder of DYPB, Bobby Umar.