Here are the 18 Growth Mentors of December 2023

1. Abdul Rahuman M

Describe yourself

I’m an experienced product manager with 5+ years of experience in MNCs like Zoho and start-ups from Seed to Series D. Product Management and Product Analytics is my forte. My focus is on enabling start-ups and high-growth companies to build data-informed products using product analytics the right way. In a nutshell, I love all things data and products.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Help early-stage start-ups do product analytics right with my 5+ years of expertise.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

To me, a growth mindset is about being outcome-driven rather than output-driven and the willingness to be proven wrong with resilience to bounce back and deliver the impact.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Product Analytics – I’ve failed to build it wrong the first time and strategized it the right way the next time. And lead the adoption of product analytics to a product and engineering org of 105 members in a start-up. And recently, started a company on the same and helped a dozen of start-ups navigate product analytics.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Using GPT to analyze incoming messages from patients to navigate to the right care team member in a healthcare set-up of providers, nurses, and coaches which otherwise would be spam in a single channel chat mechanism between a patient and care team. This saved half a day each week per coach and enabled us to scale the ratio of coaches to patients.

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2. Aishwarya Rai

Describe yourself

I’m Ash, a Product Manager with over 5+ years of expertise in AI, Cloud, SaaS, EdTech & FinTech products. Currently, I’m driving product strategy at Sofy.AI, a leading B2B SaaS platform in the USA & Europe & formerly, as a Senior PM for an Asian EdTech unicorn (UpGrad) for 4 years. I believe in driving products that contribute meaning to the lives of our users and make their lives easier & stress-free and would love to contribute to making this world better for everyone here.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I believe in the power of learning to enable a world where every person feels at home & enjoys their time on our little planet Earth and I’d love to pay forward the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my journey.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

To me, a growth mindset means accepting challenges as chances for learning and continuously seeking new strategies. It also means being open to feedback, and persistently working towards improvement, together with our team. Empathy and collaborative unity is very important for every startup.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Product Metrics & KPIs

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

At my former EdTech startup, where we were facing a challenge in user retention, I proposed a unique approach to incorporate gamification elements into our e-learning platform. I worked closely with the development team to introduce interactive challenges, badges, quizzes, & rewards within the courses. This gamified experience aimed to make learning more engaging and rewarding for our users. We witnessed a 25% increase in user engagement, as measured by the time spent on the platform and the completion rates of course modules.

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3. Brian Hawkins

Describe yourself

I started as a young entrepreneur flipping baseball cards like Gary V. I worked at three sports card shops before opening up my own shop in high school. I majored in entrepreneurship at Northeastern and did the dot com ride. I kept grinding with a few start-up ventures and worked at a few SEO agencies that landed me corporate roles from past client work. I’ve co-organized the Boston SEO & Affiliate Marketing Meetup and mentored dozens of interns throughout my career. I’m a born networker who has a passion for creative ways to build win-win partnerships with scalable optimized campaigns.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

After 20 years as a growth marketer, my priorities have changed. I am now a family man, a weekend warrior, and an abroad traveler. I have a passion for SEO and affiliate marketing, both of which I co-organized a Boston meetup for 10+ years to be able to bring in some great speakers that I admired. I’ve mentored over the years for dozens of MBA interns. I’m looking to give and network to be genuine to the community.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

It’s all about finding creative ways to build scalable win-win affiliate program partners that have aligned growth goals.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

affiliate marketing. Because it’s what I enjoy most is coaching partners and seeing a few reach that 10k commission paycheck to make the full-time leap.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

It’s about batting singles and not focusing all your energy on swinging for the fences to hit home runs. Sure that world record-breaking seo linkbait stunt could go viral but it’s about finding what works and scaling. I’ve built 23k affiliate partnerships by scaling campaigns into 100+ languages and crowd-sourcing microworker experts to focus your growth on getting as many plates at the bat.

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4. Dmitry Trofimets

Describe yourself

Hi, I’m Dmitry, 10 years of experience working with startups across 6 different industries. During the years I had a chance to contribute as a product manager by prototyping, researching (done 300+ customer interviews), and working with analytics (from metabase to amplitude). I also led as CPO by creating autonomous cross-functional product teams where people felt appreciated and willing to achieve new heights.

I can help you with anything related to prioritizing your product or yourself as a product. That includes:

• Career Plans
• Product Strategy
• Product Research and Analytics
• Process Optimization

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to access more experience (experience of others) in order to further hone my skills.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Growth mindset is the way of looking around yourself, seeing opportunities to bring value for yourself and for others. We grow ourselves through exchanging value and reflecting upon this experience.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Prioritization. However you describe it, most of the things you do will likely bring very little results – that applies to people’s career as well as their businesses. Having so many resource constraints, it’s paramount to stay vigilant about doing only things that truly matter.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

In an effort to improve the retention of psychotherapy patients, I’ve come up with a gamified system to make psychotherapy more fun and, hence, increase its useful retention.

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5. Jamie Carruthers

Describe yourself

I’m a London-based founder and CEO of a B2B SaaS business, HandsHQ. We’ve been around for 10 years, and would love to share my learnings from the journey with others.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to help early stage founders get off the ground. To be the mentor I wish I had at the time.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset to me is being open to learning. Putting the ego aside. Being smart isn’t knowing all the answers, it’s knowing how to find the answers.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

When you’ve got such an overwhelming pile of things to do to get your business off the ground, I’d love to dig in to it and help you discover what needs doing, in what order, to get you up and running ASAP.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Increased conversion rates considerably on our enterprise landing page by switching the CTA from ‘Request a call’ to ‘Get a free demo’.

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6. Jon Sukarangsan

Describe yourself

I’m a multidisciplinary leader with two decades of experience in design, consulting, and digital services. I work with companies to scale product design teams, nurture customers, and identify growth opportunities.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Contribute experience and insight to founders who are adding value to society with emerging technology.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

The willingness and insight to identify an opportunity that you don’t have a playbook for, and the discipline to put together the plan to get there.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

For teams that have proven product-market fit, and are looking to scale their product design team – I can bring my expertise in design process, planning, team management, collaboration, and hiring.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I helped a product design team ship 60% faster – I introduced a new process that combined collaboration features in their existing tools framework (Figma/Tailwind/Storybook), as well as process improvements that got designers & engineers working much closer than before.

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7. Josiane Assaad

Describe yourself

With more than 15 years of experience in marketing & communication, I have spent the last few years in fast-growing B2C companies across the Middle East and Europe leading all angles of Marketing and making many mistakes along the way. Currently, a fractional CMO working with startups, and a full-time mom where my skills in marketing are not helping me enough.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Mentorship is a reciprocal learning experience, and I can learn from the mentees’ journey and challenges the same way they can learn from my experience and the mistakes I have made.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Keep on learning, testing new things, and pushing boundaries.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Building a marketing strategy end-to-end and defining the right team that can bring it to life. This goes hand-in-hand.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Too many complex problems in the last few years as the world navigated through COVID and post-COVID. What comes to my mind:

• Leading a rebrand during COVID & doubling down on many channels where others were not which achieved a massive increase in Brand Awareness and a positive impact on sales.
• Identifying and testing several growth levers across multiple markets to maintain high-growth post-COVID normalization
• Launching a new market with a limited budget and still managing to achieve virality

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8. Kate Whitney

Describe yourself

I’m an experienced user researcher and growth strategist, and I’m passionate about helping companies better understand their current & future users to unlock growth. I have my M.S. from Stanford and led product research efforts for the Growth team at Strava. I’m now the founder of Whitney Group, a product research consultancy focused on helping startups solve their most vital growth challenges, whether that’s finding and validating product-market fit, strengthening user activation and retention, or acquiring new customer segments. Research can be tremendously impactful when it’s done right, and I help companies ensure their efforts are efficient, actionable, and impactful.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I’ve built up an expertise in how user research can unlock product growth, and I’d love to share that with other founders!

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

An eagerness to learn new things, and open-mindedness to being proven wrong! It means being constantly curious, and seeking out insights whenever you can.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Leveraging user research to identify growth opportunities, and to improve user acquisition, activation, retention, and monetization efforts.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I was working with a Growth team that had been struggling to improve their new user activation and retention rates, despite extensive experimentation on the onboarding experience. Through a short round of user interviews, I discovered that new users’ goals for the product actually weren’t aligned with the activation metrics the Growth team had been focusing on. Much of the team’s experimentation was actually pushing new users to interact with parts of the product that were actively off-putting to them, and causing them to churn. This led to a full reconceptualization of the onboarding and new user experience centered around capturing and matching new user intent, and the team saw their largest and most consistent experiment wins in the past 2+ years.

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9. Lazar Pavlovic

Describe yourself

I live and breathe Growth and Product Marketing. Throughout my 7 years of experience, I’ve helped various VC and angel-backed B2B and B2C startups scale acquire over 100.000 users, and turn them into raving fans, generating over $2.5M in return.

After working with startups that raised over $18M to date, I had an opportunity to build growth systems from scratch, putting product-led growth and product-led sales at the very core. This allowed me to achieve:

• $2.5M+ revenue generated, combining product-led growth with product-led sales to drive massive revenue acceleration;
• 100k+ users acquired for B2C and B2B SaaS, Marketplace, DevTools, and EdTech startups, backed by amazing VCs like Accel, Salesforce Ventures, and others.
• 100% average year-over-year growth through Product-Led Growth & Product-Led Sales motions.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I’ve been mentoring and helping early-stage startups go from 0 to thousands of users and hundreds of thousands in revenue as a part of startup accelerators, by sharing my fails and wins, and I want to do this on a bigger scale, as I have seen individuals and startups having value from our conversations.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Competences aren’t set in stone. Every obstacle should be treated as an opportunity, as your skills improve way faster by actually doing things. IMO – learning by doing is the safest way for you to improve your skills a little bit faster.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Early-stage Startup Growth

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Launching native iOS and Android mobile apps for our SaaS for the first time ever in my life (without mobile app marketing experience). In less than 2 months, we ended up with 21K+ app installs and over $2.6K MRR.

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10. Lazarina Stoy

Describe yourself

Hi, I’m Lazarina – an Organic Marketing and Data Consultant, Founder, International Marketing Speaker, and Leader. My mission is to help others to re-connect with intrinsic values when navigating their career journey and achieve work-life balance while remaining ambitious, driven and career-oriented. Career-wise I’ve worked with everyone from FAANG-level companies to small business owners, also being one myself – so I’m always happy to chat about organic marketing career mentorship, too.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

To help others navigate their career journeys in a way that’s more authentic to themselves, connected with their true values, and less involved with external validation goals, in the process helping them achieve a better work-life balance.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset means acting with passion and detriment, learning from the outcome (no matter how things go), and iterating based on feedback, Growth is change, so your willingness to take the necessary actions to pivot as needed would be the difference between staying stagnant and moving forward.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Achieving work-life balance as a highly ambitious, super smart, and curious person – otherwise “How to not burnout repeatedly when you have too many bright ideas and you’re really good at what you do”.

Always happy to work with folks who are just getting started with Data Science, AI/ML, Organic Marketing, or agency owners for improving processes and automation.

These two very different profiles, but both would be absolutely dream mentees for me 🙂

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Automation of processes of keyword research, internal link auditing, and page speed analysis for an agency I consulted for, saving tens of hours of labor for the team and generating revenue for the agency owners in the process.

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11. Louis Petot

Describe yourself

I’m Louis Petot, a seasoned Sales Leader with a track record of scaling businesses from seed to IPO, and a 2-time Founder and Angel Investor in Startups. With over 10 years of experience, I’ve hired and nurtured 100+ top talents in Sales, Sales Enablement, and Revops across 10+ countries, making me a valuable mentor for startups seeking explosive growth.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I love working with great minds and help them the best I can by sharing my experience.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset to me means being open to learning, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, and constantly seeking improvement. It’s about approaching every endeavor with a belief that one can develop their abilities through dedication and hard work, and that setbacks are just stepping stones on the path to success.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

GTM

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Digitalized the growth processes of an resistant to change team, in a very traditional industry.

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12. Marisol Amallo

Describe yourself

I’m a passionate sales leader with over 15 years of experience in the technology industry who is willing to support other leaders to create a go-to-market strategy and define goals and desired outcomes for their teams based on the organization’s revenue objectives. I love sharing perspectives on the matter at hand and explore solutions with a curiosity approach. I’m used to work in diverse environments and internationally.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I’m passionate about all things sales and about sharing my experience with leaders in their space who want a bigger impact on their business. I have vast experience in sales development, performance management, pipeline generation initiatives, and forecast accuracy.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

It’s about choosing progress over perfection and being open enough to learn from everyone. I truly believe in Einstein’s quote: “Once you stop learning, you start dying”

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Sales Methodology

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I was able to reduce Sales New Hires time to productivity from 9 months to 3 months by doing a Performance Consulting Project and sharing recommendations that were taken into action with great results.

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13. Michel Kattan

Describe yourself

I’m an energetic and patient strategist who likes to get things done. I’m good at dissecting complex issues and driving quickly to scalable solutions. I’m here to serve the best interests of your customers and drive long-term shareholder value for your company.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I am ready to share a wealth of invaluable, real-life experiences in driving growth for marketing- and product-led growth companies. I’ve seen the greatest decisions, common mistakes, and right timing.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Growth mindset has been clearly defined based on Dweck’s work and driven by the Big Tech CEOs. It boils down to having a combination of persistent rapid innovation, long-term thinking, and calculated risks, balanced with intellectual honesty, humility, and listening skills.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

If I could mentor someone on just one topic, it would be on how to set up the marketing org, campaigns, budget, and KPI for growth.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

We reignited profitable growth by discovering the base customer insight behind purchase decisions and aligning the entire product and marketing strategy behind it. Achieved undisputed leadership in the industry.

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14. Olga Khusnetdinova Drakatos

Describe yourself

Hi! I am a business owner and a performance marketing professional with 10+ years of experience in the digital marketing industry. Throughout my career, I have worked with leading companies such as Free Now and Skroutz, where I developed and implemented successful marketing campaigns with a budget of millions per month. At Free Now, I also specialized in Lifecycle marketing, further demonstrating my expertise in the field. I’ve got a proven track record of success, having worked with marketplaces, mobile apps and fashion brands across a range of global markets, including Germany, Greece, the UK, the US, LatAm, and Australia. My expertise: Paid Social and Google Ads, and I also offer consulting services to help businesses grow online. When I’m not working, I travel. Definitely, a dog person 🙂

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Sharing is caring – as a business owner and a marketing professional, I faced challenges that I wish somebody was there to guide me.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

It always seems impossible until it’s done… It’s true. Embracing the challenge, taking action, learning through time and mistakes, pushing forward, and becoming better day after day – that’s the growth mindset.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Paid social, e-commerce businesses, SaaS

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

All of those small suggestions make a big difference to my clients’ revenue.

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15. Richard Johnson

Describe yourself

Hi there, I’m Richard. I’ve spent my time driving growth in B2B and B2B2C SaaS companies, building growth and marketing strategies for businesses at multiple stages and varying budgets. I’ve run ads through almost every platform, and built and launched GTMs with partners such as AT&T, Harmon, and more.

I enjoy coaching and teaching team members to reach their full potential, having hired multiple marketing teams across Europe and the USA.

Let’s talk about growth, positioning, demand gen, content marketing, SEO, social media, and automation (and AI!).

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I love learning about new companies and their challenges, as well as helping others to grow and face those challenges.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset means failing fast and often, so you can find the 1/10 that will work – and testing new technology and automation to help you fail even faster. It also means that you should be open to questioning everything – especially your own biases.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Growth – holistically looking at every lever to add value, from positioning to shipping ads.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I hired a small team and we were still struggling with our workload. I organized a few learning sessions on AI and automation so that we could all share skills. We increased what our team shipped by +35% in 1 week – all thanks to a few hours of learning and sharing.

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16. Roberto Bandeira de Mello

Describe yourself

I love mentoring and have done so for 10 years now – I started early in undergrad and haven’t stopped since! I’m also a founder with work experience across early-stage (Shef), growth-stage (Instawork), pre-IPO (DiDi), and big tech (Google) companies. I specialize in operations and product management of marketplace startups, always bringing a strong emphasis on data storytelling and analytics to every decision I make with a team. My background includes Data Science, Operations, and PM positions, besides a BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

It’s an opportunity to do more of one of my favorite activities (mentoring) while increasing my network among tech startups.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Growth mindset is about understanding that a person’s skill set and what they are capable of doing is not fixed in time! Anyone can develop new abilities and grow beyond their current moment with work and dedication (and the support of their network!). With a growth mindset, you see gaps in your skills as opportunities for growth.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Having a data-driven Operations team. I have seen first-hand across multiple startups (especially marketplaces) how knowing how to make data-driven decisions is a superpower.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

While a Senior Manager for Instawork’s Operations team, I hacked together a Sheets+Python notebook prototype for a new feature. The prototype was so successful that it later became an integral product offering of the platform that is now present in >20% of all of its shifts (and I became its Product Manager).

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17. Yihang Yan

Describe yourself

Hello, I’m Yihang 🙂 With a diverse set of experiences across consulting, high-growth tech companies, and the startup community, I’m eager to share what I’ve learned with fellow entrepreneurs. In recent years, I’ve collaborated closely with senior executives to drive operational excellence and business transformation. I led some of the most dynamic teams that worked closely with various functions, from Sales to non-Sales, to refine the operating model, streamline processes, and harness the power of technology and analytics for rapid scaling.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Because I believe in nurturing innovative ideas, continuing building with the entrepreneurs, and fostering the next generation of successful businesses.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset, to me, is a fundamental belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved over time through dedication, effort, and learning. It’s the mindset that embraces challenges, views failures as opportunities for growth, and consistently seeks to expand knowledge and skills. With a growth mindset, my fellow entrepreneurs and I will be more resilient in the face of setbacks, more inclined to take risks, and more open to learning from both successes and failures.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Sales operations, particularly on managing sales performance, identifying intrinsic and extrinsic customer archetypes, and making data-driven decisions.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

During the height of the pandemic, I simplified the application process for caregivers at a national home healthcare agency. I introduced a friction-free approach, including innovative features like QR codes in public facilities, coupled with AI-driven assessments. This not only made it easier for potential caregivers to apply for jobs but also streamlined the hiring process for the agency, improving hiring volume by 45%. I also developed an algorithm designed to better match caregivers with patients based on their interests and specific needs, which played a significant role in reducing turnover, and ensuring stability and continuity in the caregiving team.

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18. Yoann Ferrand

Describe yourself

PPC Consultant with +8 years of experience.

From helping big names like Decathlon, British Heart Foundation, and Trainline fine-tune their PPC game to empowering smaller organizations to build robust digital teams, I’ve had the chance to see how the PPC landscape is evolving.

I’m excited to launch my paid acquisition agency, focusing on “data stories inspired by human connection” to create sustainable and profitable strategies. 🌟

Let’s chat if you want to level up your analytics, paid search, or need hands-on guidance!

My motto? “Choose your battles wisely, fight, and care for what matters.”

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Nurture the next wave of PPC talents.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset fosters a love for learning and resilience, encouraging you to stretch beyond your comfort zone to achieve your full potential.

It’s about seeing challenges as opportunities to grow, embracing failures as learning experiences, and understanding mastery as a continuous improvement journey.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Focusing on a paid search like Google Ads and Microsoft Ads within the broader context of “Adapting to Change in the Digital Landscape”, “Sustainable & Profitable Paid Acquisition Strategies”, and “Digital Maturity”.

Platforms are ever-evolving, with constant updates to algorithms, ad formats, and measurement tools.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

One of my most recent experiences was with an insurance client who had cycled through multiple agencies and freelancers, all with underwhelming results. What made the difference?

A step-by-step mentoring approach that included everyone, right up to the C-suite. By educating the entire team on the challenges and intricacies of PPC, we didn’t just improve numbers; we built trust and resilience throughout the company.

This improved performance and fostered resilience, making the organization better equipped to adapt to future challenges. It’s one of those “damn, I’m pretty good!” moments.

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Interested in becoming a growth mentor?

What we’re looking for:

• Growth marketers, product managers, and designers, with extraordinary track records of success
• Inspirational founders that have “been there and done that.”
• Friendly people that take joy in helping other people.
• At least 5 years of demonstrable experience working in growth.
• GrowthMentor is a #givefirst platform. You should be cool with mentoring for free until you have three reviews.