At the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, we are passionate about grooming and guiding a diverse base of future global leaders of tomorrow, and shifting the collective mindset of innovators everywhere to be their best, whole, selves. We believe that change happens most often under individualized mentorship and coaching and always through the help of incredible thought leaders, such as our team of mentors in our summer 2018 Milestone Maker program. We asked each mentor what they want their mentees to walk away with. Here are some of their answers.
Mentors —
What do you want mentees to bring to the table?
What skill or trait do you want them to walk away with?
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“The willingness to learn and grow is the most important thing for me. It’s tough to teach someone who doesn’t want to be taught.The best thing I can help a mentee with is focus and specifically with a GTM market. When launching you don’t want a product or service that’s everything to everyone, because then you’ll be marginal to all. You want one that’s EVERTHING to one type of customer and grow from there.”— Marcos Fernandez |
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“The most important quality to me is INTEGRITY, This carries over for everything you do, thoughtful decision making, does your company, your product and your organization stay true to its purpose and values does it fulfill the promise that it sets out to achieve.I want my mentees to be PREPARED. This means that whether you have the answers or not, you know how to go after what you need to get to the best possible outcome and make more good decisions than bad. vs Not prepared – or not ready for success, not able to take advantage of opportunities and not willing to see and avoid pitfalls. PREPARED, means a mentee has done their homework and is in a strong position to move forward toward realistic goals.”— Jane Markell |
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“Openmindedness. Willingness to listen, understand and explore thoughts and ideas.I want a mentee to walk away with resilience. It’s important for the mentee to understand that they will weather a lot of ups and downs.”
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“A mentee who is open-minded to new approaches and directions to reach goals contributes to a successful mentor/mentee relationship and results. Entrepreneurs who have a willingness to reset, adapt and move quickly is desirable, particularly with early stage companiesI’d like my mentee to understand the benefits that a foundational marketing and communications program can bring to a growing business, and walk away with an understanding of the resources and tools available to bootstrapping startups and those working on a shoestring budget.” — Sheryl Seitz |
 Sheryl Seitz |
Vincent Chang |
“1. Focus – Having a clear goal and target in mind before the program begins. The clearer the goal, the better the outcome will be.2. The Magic Words – Brilliant founders often have so many ideas and such a grand vision, that it’s difficult for them to tell their story to different audiences. Forget the “elevator pitch”—often times, you don’t even have that long. What is the first sentence or the first word out of your mouth that will immediately make your audience interested? Rule of thumb: Pitching what it is you’re doing to 100 individuals in different settings will help you understand the exact magic words that work.”
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“Ultimately you need to see energy or “fire in the belly” as I call it.Lots of great brains and ideas out there but it takes a lot of fuel to take an idea to reality and across the proverbial chasm. Need to see the commitment and willingness to dig deep and go beyond…..A broader understanding of what they are doing – the potential upside/downside, timing, etc.
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 Keith Newman |
 Leah Edwards |
“An open mind. While it’s great to be confident and focused, sometimes the “answer to a question” is to be sure you’re asking the right question.Confidence. Taking a deep dive into a challenge and developing a new strategy should be motivating and exciting.” —Leah Edwards |
MORE ON MILESTONE MAKERS
Milestone Makers is a prestigious 12-week program designed to help founders set and hit their next critical company milestone. Carefully selected entrepreneurs to receive individualized mentoring, training, and resources all at no cost.
Launched in 2016, Milestone Makers is a program that selects a small cohort of entrepreneurs to receive individualized business mentoring, coaching, training, and resources. The goal is to help entrepreneurs set, hit, and celebrate milestones critical to company growth.
Entrepreneurs apply to take part in this 12-week program. Upon acceptance, participants are matched with executive coaches and mentors who are leaders in their industry and given access to customized resources that meet each founder’s needs. The program also provides media and PR opportunities.
