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MenuWith our product being developed, we are looking for a good team of advisors - we need input, challenges and connections, how can I find them?
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Great advisors are driven by 3 primary variables: the industry/sector of your product, your existing network, and where you are physically located.
Industry - Your industry may or may not be network driven, in the sense that industry members regularly come together organically (venture capital) or stay relatively separate (accountants). If they regularly come together, industry events are great ways to building your network and eventually finding advisors. If they do not, this is where the value of your network comes into play.
Network - Your network is the first place to start, going first through 1st degree connections and then to 2nd degree connections. 2nd degree connections can ultimately be more helpful as the individual has less of a personal relationship with you and may be more amenable to a business relationship that is more objective than your close friends could ever provide.
Physical Location - While this may be difficult to permanently change, your location matters, and your proximity to the circles you care about matters. If you are not already in the center of where you want to be, it may be worth a trip to where the highest number of potential targets are if you can stack enough meetings together.
Happy to further expand on a call if you'd like.
The way I have found works best to get very good advisors in the past is to reach out to other entrepreneurs who have already done what you want to do very successfully, or at least something very similar. I simply start scouring LinkedIn to find the best entrepreneurs who have done something similar to what I have done and I message them asking for 5 minutes of their time. Basically all I do is ask for 5 minutes of their time for some advice on a new business you want to start. Then, once I get on the phone with them, I ask all of the questions I want answered. If they seem like a good person and like they want to help you, then I flat out ask them if they would be interested in becoming an equity advisor.
An equity advisor is someone who gives you 4 hours per month (1 hour per week) to literally be a part of your team and collaborate on a weekly call or meeting. In exchange, they get about 1% of equity.
If you have any questions or want to know about some of the other ways I find quality advisors, just message me and I'll share my experience with you.
I also recommend to check out the reviews on my Clarity profile to see that my calls and advice are extremely helpful.
I look forward to speaking with you!
There are likely a few ways to do this. Reaching out via your network for those individuals/organizations that can provide the input you need is an easy way and likely one you've already thought of. Another is to hire a connector, whose job it is to find these advisors for you. This person/organization could also determine which input is valid and worth considering versus what is fluff. Connections are also easier made when you have a broker of sorts finding them for you. I do a lot of that. Let me know if I can help!
In our area, we have several different incubators which are also an excellent place to find advisors. I have also used Meetups to network with people with similar interests in both my field and markets.
You can use social listening to find almost anyone and anything on-line. Look for those people who already influence your customers and other entities in your niche or industry.
You can begin by reading the custom-post below and continue by booking a call with me. Chances are that I know a few of the experts you are looking for, which could help you to launch faster.
"Can This Entrepreneur Find Advisers for Their New Venture?"
http://wp.me/p3tZZw-7MH
What's the product? Does it have the right name? tag line? domain(s)? landing-page copy? marketing verbiage? sales pitch?
If you want feedback or assistance in those areas, then hello.
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