ЁЯМН One Year, Two Continents, One Powerful Mentoring Journey

 



Last week, I graduated from one of the most invaluable professional experiences of my solo consulting journey — the gold-accredited “Mentoring Women in Business” programme by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.

Founded by Cherie Blair CBE KC — a barrister, human rights lawyer and tireless advocate for women’s economic empowerment — this programme connects women entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries with global mentors who help them grow their businesses and themselves.

ЁЯОУ And this was my year of growth.

Over the past 12 months, I had the privilege of being mentored by Ijeoma Ogbechie, EMBA, COO at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (London). A strategic thinker and deeply empathetic leader, she brought something rare — a mix of knowledge, perspective and stability.

  • Knowledge: Practical insights, hard-won experience and frameworks I could immediately apply.

  • Perspective: A fresh, unbiased way of looking at things — like a mirror that helped me see more clearly.

She quickly became a thought partner — someone I could speak to openly about both business goals and personal doubts.

I’d started three ventures before this. Her mentorship helped this one truly keep going. ЁЯЩП

As a former entrepreneur herself — having run Avivere, a boutique brand making African fashion more visible globally — she deeply understood the emotional highs and lows. Her advice in the early months stuck with me:

“Start small. Take the pressure off. Build steadily.”


ЁЯТ╝ What I Did During This Year

At the start of the programme, I had already set up the basics: a logo, a LinkedIn banner, a booking page and a website on Canva.

Over the year, I:

  • Reached out to 800+ SaaS professionals across India (bootstrapped + funded)

  • Built 6 strategic partnerships

  • Posted consistently on LinkedIn (at least once a week)

  • Wrote conversion-focused copy for Topmate, LinkedIn, Website and WhatsApp

  • Documented mini-case studies based on past retention work

  • Offered internships to support early talent

  • Explored tools for research, outreach, and lead generation

  • Completed courses via LinkedIn Learning, Product School and others

  • Attended webinars, read books on experimentation and growth

  • Pivoted from full-stack growth to SaaS retention advisory

  • Built a new website using vibe coding on Lovable


✨ Some Highlights

  • Featured on the Times Square Billboard in New York City via Topmate (twice!)

  • Joined WE Hub (Govt. of Telangana) as a mentor

  • Won 2nd prize in an affiliate challenge by Scripe

  • Won Convert.com’s Weekly Challenge

  • Ranked in the Top 0.1% of all professionals and Top 1% return profiles on Topmate

  • Named among the Top 10 Engagers in the Convert x Women in Experimentation upskilling challenge


ЁЯМ▒ What Made the Mentoring Work

This wasn’t just a feel-good programme. It was well-designed and well-executed. Here’s what made it work for me:

  • Pre-matching training that aligned expectations

  • SMART goal-setting that gave me clarity and focus

  • A bug-free, intuitive mentoring platform

  • Prompt support from an efficient and responsive team

The programme’s Gold Accreditation by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council isn’t just a credential. It showed up in every tool, every interaction, every check-in. That level of care and structure created space for real growth.


ЁЯОп What’s Next

As I graduate from this incredible programme, I’m entering a new chapter with focus and intention.

I look forward to serving as a SaaS Retention Advisor and Early Career Coach — with the same clarity, empathy and commitment that I was fortunate to receive.


ЁЯТм Final Thought

To any woman entrepreneur wondering if mentorship is worth it — my answer is yes. The right mentor won’t give you all the answers. But they’ll ask you the right questions. And that changes everything.


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