Driving mentors to the airport is an easy way to get the feedback you need and want

You can call it aggressive, cheap, crazy....but you should also call it effective. 

I got the following email from Neil Patel ....one of the TechStars in Seattle mentors:

As you guys are probably seeing, mentors are spending less time with the companies. It isn't that we don't care, it's that we are just busy.

One smart thing that one of your techstar CEO's did with me, Phil, is that he started taking me to the airport and picking me up. Which for me is almost once a week. The reason I think this is smart is that he gets 30 minutes of advice each way (dropping and picking).

I save a few bucks by not taking the train and I save time as it takes roughly an hour when you take the train.

You guys should encourage your other students to do the same thing as well. I know they will love the advice... I already have Andy Liu on board and I will be connecting him with a few CEOs who would love his advice. When I mentioned this to a few of the TechStar CEOs, they loved the idea.

You guys should try to create some sort of board of something in which this process can be streamlined. I bet you that a lot of mentors travel a lot. And that your students want more advice from the mentors.

Comments

[Glenn Kelman]

I love this advice. For whatever reason, car rides are good places to talk...

[Neil Patel]

LOL, thanks for the mention.

One even offered to cook dinner for me.