Advising & Mentorship, with LFJ
- Laurie Felker Jones
- Nov 15, 2025
- 10 min read
*I wrote the following background in the fall of 2021, from the HQ of UpSurge Baltimore where I was just starting as a Entrepreneur In Residence with Techstars in their Equitech portfolio. Since then, I've worked formally with Techstars and many other funds in the US, UK, and UAE as a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner to founders in their programs and portfolios. Whether you're looking for a quick orientation (The Skinny) or to go more in-depth (The Whole Enchilada), I hope this helps you on your way.*
The Skinny
Here's what I send now in the calendar reminder of my office hours:
Hi!
In preparation for our call, you might consider:
This is your time; you set the agenda.
Regarding focus of the sessions, two prompts you can consider are:
1. "Imagining yourself at the end of the accelerator or programme, what do you want to have accomplished?" We can work backwards from these end goals + you aren't married to this, and can pivot based on core strategy and/or an emergent, timely challenge!
2. Another way to frame this^^ big question is "What's keeping you up at night?".
Finally, if you have a deck and can send it to me >24 hours ahead of our meeting, I may be able to review it before our call.
See you soon!
-LFJ
The Whole Enchilada
Hi! I’m an active advisor, mentor, and mentee who has benefited tremendously from being on both sides of these relationships. With the hopes that it can help others seeking to get the most out of their experience advising and mentoring (there’s a difference! see below :), I’ve compiled some thoughts below based on my experience. If you’re requesting office hours with me, there’s a good chance I sent this to you; please let me know if it helped make the most out of our time together!
TLDR on Mentoring: I’m way into it + preparation & intention matters.
Of note: of course, this is written from my perspective. It is what I have found works best for me and those I’m in a mentoring relationship with. This is not The Truth About Mentoring. I reserve the right to change my mind (when we know better, we do better!) And, I welcome others’ thoughts! Teach me your ways, please and thank you, sincerely.
On Background
Throughout my career(s) as a political strategist and entrepreneur, I have received and given thousands of hours of mentorship. One thing I know for sure is that a significant portion of any successes I have helped generate is due to the generosity of those who have shared what they’ve learned, and/or actively listened what I already know out of me. I try to bring The Golden Rule into the instances when I’m asked to mentor others.
A huge part of what I believe works for both mentors and mentees is defining your focus, making agendas known, and being specific.
My Focus
As a mentor, I’ve worked to define my area of interest and abilities, and I practice aligning my time with that focus.
Specifically, I’m interested in building large-scale campaigns and ventures advancing equitable systems design at the intersection of purpose and profits. Said simply, I work on big problems to make the world better; I believe in the power of public + private innovation; and I follow a tremendous amount of data that shows inclusion is the way to generate outsized returns (socially and fiscally).
Note: If you’re reading this and struggling to define your focus, I recommend you look at where you spend your time and find the common thread. You can also self-examine your reactions when people ask for your help: are you excited? ambivalent? offended? Start noticing what’s implicit to define the explicit tell-tales of your why (be specific!).
Where I Mentor
Per my focus, I serve in an official mentoring capacity through my role as an Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) with Techstars Equitech.
And, I actively serve as a volunteer mentor to:
several visionary political candidates (particularly those from historically excluded backgrounds),
budding social entrepreneurs through the London School of Economics,
high-growth female founders specifically through Female Founders TX and Astia Angels,
and founders in Techstars Austin and DivInc.
(I generally don’t volunteer my time with traditionally represented folx or use cases unless it’s to further equity through allyship. If you’re interested to connect regarding a consulting project, feel free to DM me to start a conversation.)
I’m also a Mentee!
I benefit regularly from ongoing relationships with mentors I treasure who are incredible women’s health advocates, VCs, founders, eco-system developers, a great buddy who is a master-planned community developer and systems thinker, my kids (!), and several folx early in their career who educate me on what’s up in their generation(s).
My approach: Lean In, Get Consent, Call it Like You See It!
In my experience working with dozens of amazing candidates, CEOs, and founders — as well as teams I’ve led, and customers I’ve worked with, I aim to demonstrate that we are on the same side of the table. We are, after all, working towards the same goals (in mentoring, it’s for the mentee to be successful). In general, by the nature of the meeting, the mentee is specifically asking for help presumably because I have something to offer from my experience succeeding or failing at what they are up to. (That’s right: failing. Most people I know who are up to something have failed in big ways, and are happy to be vulnerable in service of our shared successes — this includes me!)
Even though we may be starting from a place of “we’re in this together”, I know I don’t know what’s up with my mentees. As I mentioned, they are the experts in their experience. So, depending on the need, I find it can be helpful to “listen answers out of them”. Or, as we put our heads together at the other end of the spectrum, I’m someone who is always count-on-able to give it to ya straight (per your request)!
Listening the Answers Out of You
You know that old adage about how consultants don’t have the answers, they just have better questions? Well, I’ve found great mentors can be like that! Instead of telling a mentee what they can’t see, I’ve found it even more helpful to help them discover from their own point of view what may be a way forward for them. (Per Chris Voss, this is the key difference and tell-tale between “that’s right” and “you’re right”.) Like much in life, social sciences, and business, I’ve found that the answers are “over there” with the customers/entrepreneurs/market; the magic in effective mentorship is listening the data out of the person on the other side of the conversation. (Hot tip: if the mentor/interviewer is talking, they aren’t receiving data from the “users”. So, it can be super helpful to zip it!)
On the Other Hand: Giving it to ya straight!
When I was a founder, I really benefited from feedback that was direct, so I aim to offer the same. My perspective then (and now) is that hearing “the truth” (as others see it) is incredibly valuable. I consider feedback a data point; and with data, I can have a shot at altering my tactics and ultimately my outcomes.
In contrast: no data → no insights → no ability to make an informed plan → no bueno!
So, please know that if you’re coming to me for mentoring, I will be bringing this approach to our call → aka fulfilling your request for critical feedback including what’s working, what’s not, and what’s missing. Said another way: much like the disclaimer at the beginning of a Zoom recording, if you want to proceed with a mentor call with me, consider this your opt-in to consent to a transparent, direct approach, or let’s not continue! 👍 Also, DO NOT WORRY! I am a big believer in “kind, not nice” and a HARD NO to “brutal honesty”. 💗
Regarding “kind, not nice”: Personally, I had a hard time understanding feedback when people were “nice”. I get the temptation: in general, people don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings, and in the South sometimes our cultural communication styles of being polite result in withholding or dancing around key data points that can really serve founders. In my opinion, when we fulfill others’ requests to tell them the real real, THAT is kind.
On the other hand, regarding “brutal honesty”: no thank you! While I may not like getting feedback that may be inconvenient or hard to hear, I can not think of any situation where I want anyone to be “brutal” with me. So, please know that is never how I aim to leave anyone.
Why me? My Superpower(s) = Making what’s implicit, explicit
Recently I was asked to define my Mentoring Superpower. What a great question, right?! As an experienced utility player, I appreciated the opportunity to distinguish the high-level and specifics of my unique abilities:
My superpower is making what’s implicit, explicit.
Sometimes when we’re in the jar, it’s hard to read the label! I’ve helped a ton of incredible people synthesize their brilliant minds into easy-to-follow messaging, validated assumptions, and actionable plans with clear goals to measure.
Explicitly, people come to me to find clarity in the following areas:
Founder vision, core value proposition
Strategy: analyzing data, defining target markets, sequencing/timelines/strategic planning/project planning; setting and tracking OKRs/KPIs
Validating assumptions: identifying assumptions, LEAN experimentation
Product<>Market Fit: customer discovery, personas, user journeys; rapid prototyping, concierge models, product roadmap; pitching, brand and messaging development for customers and investors
Go-To-Market: strategies, campaigns, optimization
Operations: financial modeling, project management, legal, payroll
PeopleOps/HR: headcount planning, role scoping, comp, recruitment, onboarding, exiting/separation packages
Fundraising: Investor model overview, targeting, pitching, alternative fundraising models
“Founder whispering” → like all human beings up to great things, sometimes it’s not what we’re doing or not doing that’s holding us back, it’s who we are being. I’m humbled and proud to have served as key counsel for the emotional/social journey of a founder, as well as the functional/technical journey. As I said to a dear founder friend once, “It’s a little unreasonable to expect to dent the universe without getting dented ourselves”. We got you ❤
Sectors I have at least some experience in include:
Consumer tech
Social Impact/Social Enterprises
Femtech
Healthcare
Hardware, Robotics, Industrial & Maritime
On the other hand, while I pride myself on being a life-long learner, there are LOTS of things I’m not count-on-able for lending expertise. This includes engineering, many aspects of CPG, crypto, NFTs, blockchain, and other disciplines and areas of #tech. However, I am fortunate to have built a large network of great people. So, if I can’t help you, I can likely get you to the right person!
Preparing for our call: state your agenda!
Somewhere along the way I heard this great saying about some of the fastest-paced people on the planet, “New Yorkers are happy to help you, on your way”. I think about this a lot when thinking about how to approach mentors.
Generally, the mentors I want to connect with are as earnest in their desire to help as they are busy people in demand. They likely have more interest than availability. So, I find they are ok with — and generally prefer — getting to the point. This allows them to ascertain quickly whether they can be of service (does your request fall into their interest areas and/or availability?) or, can they help you on your way.
Perhaps not surprisingly, I fall into this category.
As someone with immensely more interest than time, I make it a point to work to align my calendar with my priorities. One of the ways I do this is to always ask for a stated agenda. When someone is reaching out, their ability to state their agenda is a key factor in whether the request makes it onto my calendar.
If I can potentially help further their agenda, it’s on! If I can’t, then I’ll likely work to make a referral and/or be straight-up in why I am declining the request.
Also, in my view, “I don’t know” is a legit agenda when it’s something in the realm of:
I’m stuck on XYZ and I’m hoping you can help me gain clarity
I’m not sure why we should connect explicitly but there something about our common interests working on XYZ that tells me we ought to connect
After the Call: Follow up
Follow up
Often times the result of a great mentoring call is homework. One of my dear friends and great mentors, “Super Connector” Marc Nathan, rattled off about 50 people I should connect with after our initial meeting — “great news”, right?! My next step was to take that list, do my research, and then circle back to him with specific asks for (double opt-in!) introductions to key connections.
🔥Hot tip: check out How to Make Effective Email Introductions to increase your success at making valuable connections while making everyone’s life easy.
✔️Also, while mentors are big people who should not rely on you to nudge them, it never hurts to send a friendly follow up… If the mentor offered to do something for you, do them a favor and send them an email thanking them for their time and recapping the to-do’s they took on. (This is especially helpful if they are not at their desk when you connect.)
Thanking and/or Paying your Mentors
Thanking Mentors: Yes!
Mostly, the mentors I enjoy and respect don’t want anything in return except to be helpful. By virtue of being a great mentor, they are successful, busy people who don’t need anything (specifically, they don’t need more lunch, coffee or stuff).
“But, I’m Southern/have good manners! How do I properly thank mentors?!” Here are a few ideas I’ve seen work well:
Update them: In my experience, what motivates these people is knowing they are making a difference. How do they know that? You tell them! Personally, I LOVE LOVE LOVE even a super short update email that says “this was helpful! Thanks!” or even “I tried that and it did not work!”.
Recommend them: Another very smart mentor, consultant and friend I know invites mentees to leave a recommendation on her linkedin page. When she was building her practice, she even offered an additional consulting block free of charge in exchange for a sincere review; isn’t that a cool virtuous cycle and proof of concept!?
Gifting, in special circumstances: I have been known to send a token of my appreciation through Loop & Tie or InLieu. Both of these companies are female-founded gifting platforms that even include social impact options. This is a super on-brand gift for me to give — and I’ve found mostly that the recipients of my gift through these sites say “you shouldn’t have!”. (You really don’t have to!)
What About Paying Mentors? Maybe…
Generally in the startup world, there is a clear distinction between mentors (unpaid by the mentee*) and advisors (paid**). Mentors may be paid by a sponsoring organization, but generally I find they are volunteers who freely give their time up to some arbitrary limit. *Most advisory relationships are some arrangement of equity for time and effort against a defined scope (fundraising intros, product dev, marketing help, etc.).
In my view, the progression from mentor to advisor should be initiated by the mentee. Eg. the mentee may say “I am really loving this! Can you help me with XYZ?” vs. a mentor approaching the mentee asking to be paid. (Some confuse “mentoring” with “top of funnel biz dev” for their otherwise paid offerings… that’s a slippery slope and a whole ‘nother blog post. Suffice it to say, if you feel pressured by a mentor to pay for their time 🚩, it’s not “mentoring” as I’m defining it here.)
A good reference for mentees wanting more from the mentor is a “FAST” agreement which has some very helpful frameworks for scoping an advisory relationship and the associated equity (or cash payment).
So, now what? 😎
If you’ve made it this far and still want to connect, let’s do it! Perhaps you already have my calendly, or if not, DM me with your agenda and we’ll work it out!
