From Corporate Job to Solopreneurship — Insights From Running My Own Mentorship Business For a Year

July 2022–23 Data Mentoring Volume: 317 mentoring sessions billed across 26 diverse mentees from 16 distinct companies or individuals. Rate: Current mentoring rate EUR 330/h excl. VAT, given the actual CZK/EUR exchange rate. *Funding: 19% * 💥 self-fund their mentoring sessions. *: Majority ( ) from the Czech Republic, followed by* Global Reach 64% 12% each from US & Slovakia, 6% UK, and 3% each from Poland & Israel. Conversion: 76% post-introduction client conversion rate. Feedback: 8.6 NPS Score since feedback gathering started in Jan 2023. *:* Composition 52% debutant engineering managers, 19% mid-level managers, 29% at CTO/CPO ranks. Remote: 93% sessions online via video. Duration: Maintained an average of 7.3 months of cooperation. Inbound funnel: 74% word of mouth, 17% social media, 9% website. Advisory Volume: 79 days billed in 3 firms. Scope: Engineering metrics, internal audits, due diligence, structural shifts, career frameworks, and agility. *.* Contract duration: 2–6 months Rate: EUR 1550–2100/day excl. VAT. Inbound funnel: 100% word of mouth. Phase 0: Pre-Launch My was a VPE at , where I helped the company survive the heavy Covid impact, stabilize the RnD, multiply the headcount to over 100 engineers, in the last while keeping the quarter by quarter. last full-time role Mews building a new team every month year of my engagement roadmap delivery completion over 80%+ : ammunition that blasts, defeating competition and helping the company investment. We turned engineering teams into a differentiator reach series C I’m an deep in my mind. introverted person I push myself to polish how I talk and listen. The highlighted that I have a , which guided me towards my niche. I’ve felt my best when helping or earning the trust of people around me. 16 personalities test “Doctor/Defender” personality I have a , which appears to be a . It’s my bridge to tech experts and math-brain CTOs. I get the tech world as I was that geeky coder for a long time. I can dive into technical talks, review the code, or whip up a prototype. Computer Science degree striking asset The most precious career investment I have preserved for two decades is a strong learning routine. It’s described in my older blog post in . I have stuck to it for ~22 years. I set aside to dive into my curated source of wisdom, mostly blog posts, podcasts and newsletters. Learn or Die HackerNoon 4–8 hours a week It’s my way of keeping my knowledge fresh. I assembled a purely technical scope for the first ~14 years. As time went by, I progressively moved to leadership and management topics. Phase 1: Fueling In April 2021, I took a leap with the world under a pandemic’s shadow. I launched a to gain and share our wisdom. I purposely made the meetup private to keep the audience small and invited only people with something unique to add. Czech Engineering Leadership meetup Although we had to meet virtually, our connections became strong. We ran a series of monthly sessions until we were free to walk in public again. That’s when I decided to step out of my introverted comfort zone even more. Inspired by , I ventured into the world of on our company’s tech site. I recall writing my first blog post, , which took 11 long evenings. Soon, I discovered writing to be my canvas and weapon, helping me untangle my thoughts. Jan Meissner blogging about leadership “Building Trust with Engineering Teams” Phase 2: System Check Back in 2021, my ex-boss, , planted a seed in my mind. He suggested I spread with . I embraced this idea for over two years. In addition, I decided to try facilitating a series of with . Honza Široký my mentoring wings PlatoHQ PlatoHQ circles 12 people in the class The more engineering teams I led, the more I had the urge to support my line managers. I began giving extra hours, mentoring both within and outside our department. Consequently, I set up a to . I didn’t want to sit and wonder who among my managers would thrive or struggle after two years, especially in the period of steep hiring, while guaranteeing with my teams. New Team Lead Growth Programme (NTLGP) build a strong leadership foundation in three months 80%+ quarterly roadmap completion Phase 3: Ignition emerged when one of my past PlatoHQ mentees said he desired to keep our sessions going and pay for them when I decided to leave PlatoHQ due to their . My Aha! moment zero compensation policy in 2022 My heart raced with excitement and wonder the day I got my first payment. In seven weeks, I had from my close network. three more clients By mid-2022, things got tricky for me. I juggled my day job with evening mentoring. I saw the worry in my wife’s eyes. I was a millimeter close to burnout. Staying in the middle felt like a never-ending struggle while I was looking for the right moment. I had to choose. Simply put, I had , but deep down, I doubted my abilities as a solo founder. promising signs in mentoring My Moment Defining Fast forward to June 2022: I was in a VPE job at Mews I loved. Current job: . Inside, I felt a pull, a desire to build my own venture for six months as an experiment. But, many questions kept me awake. Am I really capable of helping all the mentees? Evolving side gig: I dedicated my time to mentoring four billable clients in the evenings I drew one more card: To validate my market value, I ended up with a new offer on the table: ~230k EUR/y compensation package (salary, bonus, stocks) for a full-time division lead role in the Czech Republic. New offer: Half of the family relatives advised me to stay on the trajectory of a regular job due to emerging challenging times (RU-UA war, living costs skyrocketing). They were excellent in constructing plenty of The other half was supportive. excuses for why not to start. In the meantime, I did a lot of . I did a lot of research regarding the market fit and possible strategies. Soon enough, I realized there are many significant names on the : mainly, the ones who get famous for a single topic, those who are unbelievably active on social networks, those who refurbish, or those who sell books or certificates. networking and met loads of people scene with different tactics Due to my , I read tons of solid blog posts and newsletters. Seeing learning habit how Gergely’s newsletter has traction, Pragmatic Engineer how inspirational and to the point writing from ’s can be, Will Larson Irrational Exuberance , Jade Rubick ’s weekly newsletter courses John Cutler’s and his spot-on scenarios, Beautiful Mess and many , others it all signaled to me there is a way. I find their approach to , with a more close to my nature. offering unique ideas and perspectives balanced social presence, , I made a leap while listening to podcasts during my Saturday routine. The podcaster, , was talking about stock investment and, more specifically, why . One morning Ondrej Kobersky 🇨🇿 timing the market (when to buy or sell) is a poor idea It clicked with my venture situation of instead of persisting to invest regularly despite unfavourable indications. Iterative discovery. waiting to gain a competitive advantage It confirmed my beliefs, and I made my lifetime decision in a second. First, I behind me ( ). burned the bridges Art of War I mutually agreed to part ways with my current job and turned down an attractive offer. A path towards a mentoring venture was the only one existing. : I had saved up some extra money by selling a proportion of (similar to stock options) I earned during my ~3 years as a VPE. Disclaimer depositary receipts Phase 4: Liftoff Dall-e: “Give me a picture of a spaceship liftoff to space with exploding engines” Once I , I spent a lot of time talking to colleagues, friends and possible clients. Most of the conversations weren’t about closing deals immediately, but everyone I met strengthened my network. set up my company entity Wall in My Head Soon enough, I hit the While finding the was relatively easy due to existing relationships, . reality of my incompetence. first four clients I failed hard to attract more It felt like I was weighed down, holding myself back. I think my lack of confidence showed. I wasn’t sure what I was offering, and people could see that. Finding Inner Peace There’s a lot of advice out there about improving others — your team, your direct report, your strategy, your family. I was so caught up in it that I had no time to stop, look in the mirror, naked, and reflect on myself. I had to learn it. That is why I decided early enough to find . my own coach I was happy to find in my network. He’s been keen to expose the details and the reality of his own journey as a well-established . He hasn’t given up on me and kept pushing me so that I find answers in my most blurry areas, mainly where my lack of confidence and fear of hypothetical failure was coming from. Joel engineering leadership coach After discovering the root cause and applying the fix on my own, I witnessed my moment. “Father, the sleeper has awakened” Dune In six months, I made a leap from “I’m worried what a client could come up with” to “I hope a customer comes up with something unique or challenging”. Initial Improvements In addition, I decided to take a step back and boost my way of working. I improved the tactics in how I and I mastered my . searched for clients, introduction sessions I tailored a on my own, added mentoring and advisory guides and my on my site. Most importantly, I started to pay extra attention to from recording myself. website wisdom of knowledge the tone of my voice Gamechangers There were two determining moments taking place: I was chatting one day with my friend, (SVPE at ), who’s famous for running one of the most popular tech and venture in the Czech Republic. He got curious about the whole mentoring thing I was into. Together with his pal ( founder), they had me on their show to . I did my best to explain my mentoring purpose, motivation, and how it works. It was a blast generating the first wave of clients. Roman Pichlík Ataccama czpodcast Filemon TopMonks chat about what I was up to In parallel, I met , CTPO at . He needed to boost engineering teams across the company by providing them with a way to identify their potential drawbacks. We agreed on their situation’s most useful engineering efficiency metrics and tailored a solution using , , and . Due to my decadent experience in , we closed a 3-month fractional contract, and my advisory stream was alive. Moreover, David pointed me to a pretty decent book, , that helped me to steer my thoughts around solo entrepreneurship. David Peknic kosik.cz Jira Keboola Tableau building and adopting such dashboards The Almanack of Naval Ravikant My Market Value Soon enough, I ran into a different issue: Although my advisory work was valued well, my mentoring than my market price. I didn’t want to subsidize my venture from savings. fee was two times lower Therefore, I made a decision to . move big from EUR 150 an hour to 300 Due to my introverted mind, I was not sure how to approach it. Moreover, it felt risky with the RU-UA situation and companies trying to reduce costs. After explaining the price increase to my clients, Another one decided to meet less often. I lost 2 out of 13. The majority of customers saw the value in what I provide and understood the significance of investing in their leaders for the long run. Phase 5: Engines at Full Thrust I reached a level when my calendar was full. However, I knew I had to do more to optimize the business. My Positioning Marketing specialists have advised me to copy the proven path and get traction through an extensive daily presence on social media, including their support. I understand the importance of visibility. However, I don’t believe copying the success stories of the most exposed professionals guarantees success for my own journey. If I were a Product Manager and just mimicked what my competitors did, wouldn’t that leave me trailing behind them? Above all, I don’t think cloning how other people work could bring me joy. I was hungry to find my own path. My “Mentoring 1+2+2 Triangle” Strategy I’ve discovered the following combo works best for me: I invest into learning: reading loads of material, blog posts, writing, listening to podcasts, or at various events, meetups, conferences, podcasts, and panel discussions. Learning: one day a week speaking I dedicate to 1-hour mentoring sessions, . The rest is preparation and operational work. Mentoring: two days a week 3–4 sessions daily I spend as a fractional advisor/CTO. Advisory: two days weekly I believe this piece puts me in an unbeatable spot. A combo of (talking experience), (putting things to practice and gathering feedback), and (cultivating my knowledge) is my third eye. mentoring advisory continuous learning It is tempting to abandon my learning day to earn more. Taken from an opposite angle: , but I believe I’d shortly end up talking about waterfall, mainframes and agile manifesto. It is tempting to abandon my learning day to earn more If I give up on mentoring, I will weaken my network and individual leadership. If I leave advisory, I will have zero opportunity to experience different situations and various client models to learn from and talk theory with no actual practice in the field. In essence, seeing what clients have built widens my knowledge. Components of My Conversion Rate I learned not to to reach victory. sell victory, but how it feels I recall a similar situation of being an interviewer interested in a candidate. I learned to gain a competitive advantage by selling not only what the work is about but also in this company and under my leadership. how it feels to work Potential clients make decisions upon feelings, not logic. That’s why I changed my tactics regarding introductions: I focus on identifying people to pick a mentor and use them in their stories. I work with these scenarios or their variations to create a hook: what situations drive For a first-time manager, I mostly apply the “ *. I want to stand on both feet*” story. Then, I guide them through the New Team Lead Growth program I’ve built. I have no confidence For a direct manager of a mentee, I use “ *.*” Think of the cost of delay. To set them up for success in 3+ months, instead of letting them sink or swim for two years For a mid-manager: I want them to “ . Start focusing on what matters the most. ” Move away from being busy/operational to thinking strategically And what do CTOs/owners look for? “ *, squeezed between two stones. Executive management asks you to hit the goals while your teams ask for help.*” Simply put, they need a friend to talk to. They wish to validate their ideas and get help from outside to execute their improvements, including persistent adoption. You feel alone in your thoughts Bonus: Most probably, if a client says, “ ”, they’re looking for someone to confirm their feelings. In their mind, they’re screaming: “Help me land a new job. Guide me in the first 3–6 months.” Typically, they look for someone who pushes them hard from the outside to “burn the bridge”. I’m not sure my current job is the right place Another experiment that paid off was sending to clients right after the intro session. summary and call-to-action emails In addition, I clearly defined my differentiators, explained below. These enhancements skyrocketed my client conversion rate in a few months. My mentoring calendar got full. My Differentiators My allocation explained above is the foundation I rely upon in the long run. Strategy: “mentoring triangle” : I don’t position myself strictly as a mentor XOR coach. In my experience, there’s a large overlap, and I harness the strengths of both techniques. Especially at the start, I lean more towards mentoring, the reason being clients usually come with pressing issues, seeking immediate solutions on the spot. They’re not keen to wait for potential solutions to be exposed at the fourth session of open questions. I listen closely, ask questions for clarity, and provide a piece of situational advice, including action items. In parallel, it helps us gain mutual trust as opposed to losing momentum. Once we’ve fixed the rough spots of disturbance, I progressively shift towards coaching, with emphasis on our north star. Mentoring vs Coaching No doubt I benefit from the fact the current competitive density of mentoring and coaching services specialized in software companies leadership is more sparse in Central Europe compared to the West or US. Nevertheless, I know there is more to offer. First, I understand the local cultural environment well, which helps me adopt a so-to-speak “American approach” in my region. Second, people tend to talk to a person native in their language. Location: : The technical background I have is an asset. I don’t position myself as a generic business consultant. I don’t follow the dress code. I trust the “doing rather than talking” approach. If I hear “We’re incapable of doing X” for whatever reason, I assemble a written proposal on the same day, or I wear my coding hoodie, run an IDE and build a “proof of concept” and forward. Traction I seek no forward contracts. We stay on track until the client and I are happy with the progress and the outcomes. This approach is fairer and gives both sides more freedom to act accordingly. I met zero clients not paying an invoice in my territory, although I have to chase them occasionally. Pay as we go: is the in what I do. I make changes persistent, ensuring the adoption of a change is widely accepted, as opposed to seeing ruins two weeks after I move on. I put extensive effort into gaining trust and prepared a well-tailored battle plan first. My signature: This wow factor In mentoring, I update their direct managers regularly about our progress. In advisory, I broadcast a weekly summary of my work to keep people engaged and things on track in a transparent manner. Feedback loop: Phase 6: Orbit Parking My Principles : means everything to me. I don’t play games or twist my words to sound better. I am straight with the clients in my talks. Many clients come to me because someone they trust told them about me. People in the software world are smart and can see through superficial marketing. Transparency My reputation : If a client brings up a new situation I’m not sure about, I dig deep to understand it. I research using my trusted sources and build written notes. This way, I get myself ready if a similar topic comes up again in the future. Every night, I think about my day and what can be improved and put a few thoughts down on my list. Continuous Improvement I would not succeed without principles or strategy in place. They are a catalyst I rely upon and make me stand out from the crowd. Elements of tactic and timing are crucial. Mentoring Lessons Learned : Doing more than drains me. They feel as intense as interviews. I learned this the hard way. Being an introvert, I often retreat to my cave afterwards. Limits to my energy 3–4 mentoring sessions a day : If a mentee doesn’t seem committed or skips their small homework assignments regularly, I terminate our sessions. I’m 43, and . If I cannot find dedication and joy in what I do, I’d rather be with my family or helping my son with his studies. Valuing my time time is a precious asset to me : Mentees who approach me directly, not through HR or a manager, do better. They’ve been thinking about reaching out for a while, and taking action sets them apart. Self-motivated learners : The folks who pay for my mentoring out of their own pockets are super driven. They hang on to every sentence, looking for value. Personal investment matters : By setting clear guidelines upfront and publishing them on my website, I’ve cut down a lot of repetitive work. It saves time for both sides. Streamlining my process : I’ve turned down two offers even if it meant less income. Whether it’s a big company that doesn’t align with my values or a mentee who shows red flags, I’ve learned to trust my gut as opposed to damaging my beliefs. Learning to say “no” : I used to jump in with solutions right away. Now, I hold back, listen more, and understand better. The clearer picture I get from a client, the better I can guide them. Becoming a listener : I learned to treat mentoring service as a functioning entry point to the client company. Either the company witnesses the impact of mentoring and wishes to expand the number of their leaders in mentoring. Or, the other direction is, as we get to know each other and the situation in the company more, I turn into an advisor to help them execute and reach a specific goal. Customer journey Advisory Lessons Learned : I quickly realized taking on more than one on-site advisory client at the same time was chaos. Too much swapping between tasks and topics, and it was a tough lesson with sleepless nights. Multiple on-site clients : It makes a huge difference when I really get to know a client from the ground up. Besides the assignment, when I get adequate space to understand the business, vision, and scope, and have an opportunity for informal chats with stakeholders, my work is more effective. Not starting from the middle : No way could I provide an upper value if I had no extensive knowledge . Specifically, it covers product management, company leadership models, and HR, including decent knowledge of finance, GTM strategies, M&A and marketing. A good example is engineering delivery, where the root cause of potential inefficiency could lie in product management, continuous discovery, or the disconnect between the roles. We want the teams to fire with well-prepared ammunition. Expertise outside of my engineering bubble : I openly communicate I’m not looking for long-term contracts to . Instead, I act fast. I embrace the current situation and gain trust through “doing over talking”. Then, I execute the demanded assignment while paying particular attention to adoption. I pass the finish line with a wow factor, and move on to the next client with a positive reference and an expanded network. Contracts squeeze the client : I’ve been burned before trying to help companies that lacked product strategy, had a tense atmosphere at the top, or were just stuck in inertia, mostly due to their size. Now, I use these factors as a sort of consideration before diving in. Unproductive environments “health check” : In May 2023, I missed out on two big deals in a week. It was a blow. I felt crappy. Instead of wallowing, I took a step back, reevaluated my approach, and refined my pitch once again. Plus, rejection is a natural part of the business. Dealing with rejection : I’ve learned that I need to be straightforward with my insights, even if it might surprise or upset some people. Being clear helps the message get through. I experience true leaders appreciating honesty over my attempt to sound more reassuring and hide the truth between the lines. Being transparent Phase 7: Coasting Was my first year going solo a complete win? I’d love to say “yes”, but that’s not me. I’ll say: “It’s been a good start.” By early 2023, I felt a newfound level of confidence. My calendar was packed, and 70+% % of those interested in my services said “yes”. Now, I’m operating at full throttle, with available slots taken. I recommend fellow European mentors I know or add people to my waiting list. The list isn’t very long, though. I’ve found a calm within. It’s like , weightless and grounded, challenges come my way. floating in space no matter what Phase 8: Ejection When it comes to my plans for the next 12 months, I have : four goals : I’ve recently taken the reins to revive my moving from a virtual form to an on-site one. In fact, we have our lined up in beautiful Prague on September 7th. Giving back to the community , Czech engineering leadership meetup upcoming gathering : I will validate and I have regarding software companies learning boost. Pioneering pilot a product idea : I will grow my network by emphasizing , reducing the proportion of nice-to-have chats with a blurry value. Time is an asset. Quality connections quality over quantity : I will speak at . Stage presence two more dedicated conferences : On a more personal note, my internal goal is to eliminate my tiny verbal imperfections. In particular, I have the in my talks by adding a “hmmm” noise, which is disturbing. Bonus urge to fill the silence The scalability or passive income goals are off my plan for now. I’m leaving it on my to-do list for the following season. Space in Balance I wish I could have read this article a year ago, parked my mentoring spaceship in orbit, witnessed the progress and found my inner peace a bit sooner. I share my adventure in the hope it can help someone in a similar situation to see things from a different angle and learn from the surprises I’ve been through. If I succeeded 💪 in seeding in your mind, or 🍻 to make my day one idea worth considering ping me buy me a beer 😄 Also published . here