The guys at 500 Startups say the silliest things sometimes. One of the things that isn't so silly? This:
if Person.Skills == Startup.Needs && Person.TimeAvailable >= 4 hourspermonth then Person.PossibleStartupMentor = True
Which when translated means, if a person has skills that match a start-up's needs and has at least 4 hours a month to spare, then that person could should be a mentor to a start-up. Not those very words, of course, but that's the gist of what one of their Partners said to me.
He wasn't talking only about entrepreneurs who've Made It. He was talking about just anybody with the right skills and a little time to share them. I think he's right and I'm going to follow his advice.
Here's the deal: if you have a specific problem for which you think it would be useful to get an external perspective or hands-on help from me, and if this would take a few hours a month (either all at once or 30 minutes at a time for a few days each month), then feel free to call/email/tweet/dispatch a carrier pigeon with details.
What am I good at? In no particular order: trend-watching and pattern-matching across industries, helping create financial models, crafting and polishing pitches, telling suitably disguised stories about other start-ups that have faced similar problems, demystifying the dynamics of investors and board interactions, coming up with three answers to a yes/no question (no, really), being simultaneously creative and pragmatic about new ideas (see my post about the bipolar VC)...
What am I not-so-good at? Writing blog posts that light the Internetz on fire. Share this post with friends who you think might be interested.
What will I not do? Many things. Here are some. I will not make sales calls for you. I will not take on a task you assign, go away and do it, and come back to report to you about it -- we work together or not at all. And of course, as much as I'd love to, I unfortunately cannot spend more than a few hours with you per month.
(Bonus: What am I intermittently great and terrible at? Answering email.)
I'm not doing this for the fame and glory. Something like this isn't really necessary either. Why am I doing this? Out of the goodness of my heart? I suppose, a little, but also because I'm going to learn from you at least as much as you from me. There's no reason I should restrict my learning opportunities only to those start-ups in which I've invested. And what do I want from you in return? Remember that I'm not your boss, spouse, customer, employee, consultant or lawyer, and have none of their axes to grind. I want you to be informed (do your homework), opinionated (don't keep your mouth shut) and intellectually honest (pursue the truth without bias), so you can tell me when you think I'm wrong and we can have an open debate about it. I want your commitment so I know we're not wasting each other's time.
Oh, alright, if you really really want to, you can buy me a beer one day after you've made your squillions.
If you know for a fact that someone I know well could be a good mentor for you, ask me and I'll make the connection.
UPDATE: This post received overwhelming support from entrepreneurs to the extent that several founders have asked me for a more formal engagement than I had originally envisioned. Possibly they went and read Jason Lemkin's post or possibly they came to this conclusion on their own. Now, I can't possibly support several start-ups in this way, so overall, I've come around to the conclusion that a more actively engaged, formal relationship with a selection of companies does have its advantages. If you're reading this post today and feel like I could be your company's next Chief Beer Drinker, please be aware that my thoughts have evolved since the time I first wrote this post.
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