🌍 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.
🎓 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. 🙏
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.”
💼 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
🌱 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.
🎯 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.
💬 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.
Comments
Post a Comment