Things change when we meet the right ones, the same rule applies in business growth when you get a chance to talk to an experienced coacher or consult a scaling expert. This November International Coaching Day’22 has expanded its horizon from Finland to Spain and here are the main take-aways for those who are still guessing how coaching sessions help to direct the startup towards a growth track.
THE FORMAT IS IMPORTANT. “Having the mentors onsite was the most valuable aspect. Compared to the online meetings, I felt more confident in developing ideas and trusting the mentor”, notices Dimitri Ionescu, the founder of Lightmirror, the urban engineering startup. It is true, that onsite meetings leave a stronger impression, but the online talks can reach those who are far away. Pre-sceduling the sessions and an extended introduction on what your startup does are the worth-to-do routine. As well as listing the current challenges you face as a founder, it saves the time and helps mentors to see the bigger picture.
KNOW YOUR CLIENTS AND THE CONTEXT. As one of the mentors and co-organizers notices, the most valuable thing is being able to connect the startup with a potential client. However, scaling abroad is not an easy step to take, especially, if you are a deep-tech startup. You need to get the “Insider’s experience” to make a solid entrance strategy and it combines much more than knowing your future clients. But first things first, it is worth to know all the reasons why to take the step. “For instance, Finland is an attractive country for deep-tech-startups with our long tradition of innovative engineering. Key factors regarding scaling are the supply of highly skilled labor, good collaboration between academia and business sector and the availability of both public and private funding”, explains John Holmberg, Growth Advisor at Turku Business Region. Talking the to the local experts enables founders to grasp the business environment of the destination market.
FOSTER THE CONNECTION. It was an intensive day filled with hybrid meetups! How about extending it to a long-lasting business connections? The online platform Howspace stays open and invites startups and business experts to catch-up on the regular basis. The same applies to a Linkedin Boosters group, where mentors are invited to share their insights about the local and international startup scene.
"I talked to 7 experts and wanted to check if the market conditions in foreign countries are similar to the situation in Lithuania. We were discussing if an AI-based product demand forecasting solution we are providing could solve the challenges in the European industrial landscape. During the sessions, I have come up with a plan on how to start selling the products in specific countries, also how to get potential customer contacts. I am continuing conversations with a couple of experts I met, I hope it may lead to concrete projects", says Dalius Mašalas, the Co-founder and tech lead of startup DIPtech, providing AI-based solutions for the industry.
These are the main things worth considering while starting the business coaching sessions. It can be a start of a significant change in your startup's story or the beginning of a brand new business collaboration.