Why a mentor?

How can a product roadmapping mentor help me? When should I talk to a product roadmapping mentor? Why should I talk to a mentor rather than just take a course? Why should I trust GrowthMentor’s mentors?

All your questions about mentorship, answered

How can a product roadmapping mentor help me?

In spite of all the frameworks we try to define it by, product roadmapping is ultimately an art and not a science. There’s simply no one right way to do it.

It also means that the specific roadmapping challenges can vary massively from company to company (and even within product lines of the same company). One startup may struggle with determining a product strategy while another may have a strong strategy, but face stakeholder management frustrations at every turn. 

Figuring out how to handle this endless list of challenges is no small task. But it’s exactly where the “been there, done that” experience of a product roadmapping mentor can help you. They’ll act as a fresh set of eyes on your product roadmapping issues and help you straighten out your product team’s biggest roadblocks.

When should I talk to a product roadmapping mentor?

You can talk to a product roadmapping mentor at any point in your product’s lifecycle. But, just be prepared for the advice to differ.

If you’re a founder with a brand new product that you’re the sole product owner, you’ll need to worry more about validating your assumptions and not falling in love with your own solutions too quickly.

If you’re working with a new, small product team, you’ll likely need more help with staying agile and user-centric.

And if you’re part of a large, well-established product function, you’ll probably need more help on the alignment and stakeholder management end of things.

Fortunately, a product roadmapping mentor can analyze your situation and draw on their experience and expertise to figure out which challenges you should prioritize and how you can tackle them effectively and efficiently.

Why should I talk to a mentor rather than just take a course?

Courses and blog articles can teach you the textbook version of product roadmapping. But, it’s ultimately just theory.

As anyone in the startup world knows, even the best plans rarely survive first contact with reality. This goes double for a space like product roadmapping where uncertainty and the human factor make all the difference between success and failure.

Our mentors aren’t fluffy theorists. They’ve been in the trenches and been hands-on with the work. They’ve seen fantastic successes, spectacular failures, and everything in-between. They know what works and what doesn’t.

So, you could spend hundreds of hours reading articles, taking courses, and blindly testing out tactic after tactic.

Or you could shortcut all the frustration and talk to a mentor who has walked the path before. You’ll get advice tailored to your company and product instead of just guessing about what works.

Why should I trust GrowthMentor’s mentors?

Excellent question. After all, the “mentorship” world is full of high-priced consultants, armchair analysts who have never done the work themselves, and outright snake-oil salesmen looking to make a quick buck.

But, there are plenty of experts out there who want to share their experience and knowledge. At GrowthMentor, we’re lucky to have 700+ of those experts.

The secret comes from our vetting process. We not only double-vet all of our mentors so only the top 3% makes it through our process, we also look at their soft skills. Because no one wants a mentor who’s a snob or a jerk.

On top of it, 85% of our mentors don’t charge an extra fee. Why?

The short answer: Because they want to help people.

The long answer is because…

  • They enjoy sharing their knowledge
  • They learn from their mentees
  • They want to be a “force for good” in the business world
  • They want to pay it forward

But don’t just trust our word on it. Hear from the mentors themselves.