These are the slides based on the book Mentoring Startups by George Vukotich, Ph.D. They were also used in an interactive session at The Enclave in September 2020.

3. Past:
- SVP Programming 1871
- Dean, College of Business
- Three startups
- Corporate
- Military
George Vukotich, Ph.D.
Current:
- Managing Partner -- FinTank
- Founding Partner -- 1000 Angels Chicago
- Board Member / Advisor
- Teach, Board of Trustees, Volunteer
- Author
www.georgevukotich.com
Working On:
How to Put Together and Teach an Online Class

5. CORPORATE
- Working the system
- Grooming skills
- Succession planning
- Dealing with politics
- Introductions for Career
- Structured
START-UP
- Building a system
- Developing skills for the unknown
- Surviving / Thriving
- Dealing with unknowns
- Introductions for Success
- Un-Structured

7. - Role model
- Brainstorming ideas
- Developing concepts
- Listening for insights
- Acting as a sounding board
- Providing feedback on approaches taken
- Looking at ways to pivot
- Reviewing what happened and identifying lessons learned
- Making introductions to others that can help

8. It Starts with Self-Awareness
- Entrepreneurs often have strong personalities.
- The challenge comes when they realize they
cannot do it all themselves.
- Connecting with others like mentors and advisors can help, but
to get the most of a relationship and individual needs to understand
themselves. Their strengths / weaknesses.
- There are a number of assessments that can help as a starting point.
-- MBTI, DISC, 16PF, Strengths Finder --- 360 Feedback
- Communication and decision making are important skills to have.

9. Identify the Areas of Need
LEADERSHIP:
COMMUNICATION:
DECISION MAKING:
RELATIONSHIPS:

10. Characteristics to look for – Questions to Ask
- Do they have the skills (business/technical, general/specific)
to help you?
- Have they done what you are looking to do (Track Record)?
- Are they someone you can work with (personality perspective)?
- Do they have a network that can make a difference?
- Why would they help you?

11. Preparing to Work with a Mentor
- Identify what the biggest issues are.
-- Create a list and prioritize.
- Determine where the benefits are.
-- How can the mentor best help.
(problem solving, contacts, funding).
- Go to work strategy.
-- How are you going to work with your mentor.
(what issues, how often, what level of help.

12. The Search
- Where to look? - First, let people know what you are
doing and need help with.
- Personal contacts, LinkedIn, meetups,
networking events, alumni
- How to approach someone? - Start a conversation/email looking
at common areas of interest.
- How to use your elevator
pitch?
- Who you are, what you are doing, why
should the person care.

13. But Watch for: Kooks, Con-Artists, and Criminals

14. Got to have Goals – Set Goals for the Relationship
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Timely

15. Communication
- It’s about expectations!
- How to communicate; how often, format, time expectation,
level of detail.
- Sharing details; verbal, visual, other.
- Talk through, advice, pro/con approach, decision.
- Listening is key.
- Report back on results.

16. Communication
Direct - Synchronous Through Media - Asynchronous

17. Communication – Listening for Understanding
Repeat it Back in
Your Own Words
Ask Deeper
Probing Questions

18. Intent vs Impact

20. Problem Solving / Decision Making

22. 1415

24. Mind Map

25. Structured Thinking

26. Four-Frame from The Leadership Challenge

27. The Business Model Canvas

28. 1. Agree to use an agenda
2. Send it out at least 48
hours ahead of time
3. Use a consistent format
4. During the meeting use it
as a guide
5. Take notes
6. Send out a review with a
summary and follow up
questions
Have an Agenda

29. Reflection
Learn from the past,
don’t live in it.

31. Group Mentoring
- Common Challenges
- Learn from each other
- Mentor as a facilitator
- Build a support network

32. Remote Mentoring

33. Global Mentoring
THE TOOLS EXIST
What’s App
Call Anywhere
Call Anytime

34. Helping the Mentor Benefit as well.
- A relationship should be two-way.
- Understand what the potential mentor is working on and see if
there is a way you can help him or her.
- What can you offer them. It may not be just about money.
-- Advisory board member, picture on website, introductions.
- Clarify any expectations about what they are looking for.

35. Building a Mentor Network
Different Needs
Different Times
--------------------------
Different People

36. Mapping Out Your Network

37. Learning
- There will be ups and downs
– especially in a startup environment
- The key is to learn so you know when
opportunity appears
-- and to see when things are going
wrong so action can be taken
- Work with your mentor to understand
what can happen
-- If after the fact ask what could have
caused things to happen

38. YouTube -- Founded in 2005, YouTube began as a video dating site called "Tune In Hook Up," similar to
HotOrNot.com. When the site failed to gain traction, the founders scrapped the idea, and instead focused
on simply sharing videos online. Its exit: Acquired by Google for around $1.65 billion in stock.
Pivoting Can Make a Difference
PayPal -- PayPal originated as a way to exchange money via Palm Pilots. Peter Thiel is credited with
seeing the potential to solve a much larger problem - an easy way to transfer money online. After
securing a relationship with eBay, PayPal was soon handling over 40% of eBay transactions before being
acquired by the company in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
Twitter -- In 2006, podcasting startup Odeo was quickly made irrelevant after the release of iTunes and
other competition. Seeing the writing on the wall, Twitter began as a side project originating from
“hackathons” to identify viable new opportunities. As of 2016 Twitter has over 313 million users monthly.
Groupon -- Sometimes the idea can be completely right, but the target market completely wrong.
Founded in 2006, The Point, as it was known then, began as a platform for mobilizing groups of people
towards action for various causes. Groupon was initially just one subset of another site, (even launching
at groupon.thepoint.com). In 2016 Groupon did over $3 Billion in sales.

39. Remember – It’s a Learning Process

40. What Does Your Success Look Like?
John Dallas Jr.
B o o k o f t h e Y e a r

41. George Vukotich, Ph.D.

43. Backup Slides

44. Self Mentoring
- Ask yourself if you could have anyone as a mentor who would
that be – Study that person.
If YOU are able to log-on, please do. Your family and friends of all ages will appreciate what George has
to say about the socioeconomic value of mentoring, reverse mentoring, and being mentored, and
even a word about “self-mentoring” (not unlike self-coaching) – all in an era of social distancing.
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS – REMEMBER GETTING THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED

45. Mentoring for All Ages
Rethinking Mentoring and Being
Mentored in an Era of Social Distance
Communities of Practice
User Growth
•Total number of users
•New users in the past month
•Churned (lost) users in the past month
•New user growth (Month over month, Quarter over
Quarter, Year over Year)
User Engagement
•How many total engagements (likes / comments)
• How many members posted comments?
• How many likes were there?
•What % of total users liked or commented in a
month?
•What % of total users were inactive?
ommunity Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Key performance indicators are used to measure your progress against a goal. They should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
While your KPIs will vary depending on your communities purpose, and the platform you’re using, a few KPIs are universal.
KPIs to consider