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.
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Knowledge: Practical insights, hard-won experience and frameworks I could immediately apply.
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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:
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Reached out to 800+ SaaS professionals across India (bootstrapped + funded)
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Built 6 strategic partnerships
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Posted consistently on LinkedIn (at least once a week)
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Wrote conversion-focused copy for Topmate, LinkedIn, Website and WhatsApp
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Documented mini-case studies based on past retention work
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Offered internships to support early talent
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Explored tools for research, outreach, and lead generation
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Completed courses via LinkedIn Learning, Product School and others
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Attended webinars, read books on experimentation and growth
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Pivoted from full-stack growth to SaaS retention advisory
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Built a new website using vibe coding on Lovable
✨ Some Highlights
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Featured on the Times Square Billboard in New York City via Topmate (twice!)
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Joined WE Hub (Govt. of Telangana) as a mentor
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Won 2nd prize in an affiliate challenge by Scripe
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Won Convert.com’s Weekly Challenge
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Ranked in the Top 0.1% of all professionals and Top 1% return profiles on Topmate
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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:
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Pre-matching training that aligned expectations
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SMART goal-setting that gave me clarity and focus
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A bug-free, intuitive mentoring platform
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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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