For A Job Seeker

1. Make your LinkedIn profile amazing & make 100 connections (google “make LinkedIn Profile awesome” if needed). Definitely connect with Scott since you likely know him if you are reading this.

2. Decide on 1-3 general industries you want to explore (eg. Accounting, Sales, Healthcare Admin)

3. Search LinkedIn for 1st and 2nd degrees connections (“Friends of Friends”) who might be a good mentor in those industries. May need to ask 1st Degree Connections to Intro you to their friends.

4. Send out 100 invites per week for 4 weeks to potential mentors and say, “Would love to learn more about your work and wondering if you would be willing to chat via phone for 15 minutes? If that could work, simply send your number and best time to call.

5. Be very prepared when you have the phone call. DO NOT ask for a job. However, you could ask, “How does someone like me land at company like yours?”

6. If you do 50 “informational interviews and good things will happen.

From the Founder

It was 2011 and my job as a business banker in downtown Durham was to connect with business owners and entrepreneurs in the area. They were so inspiring and I loved being immersed in a growing ecosystem of innovation. Eventually it was obvious that one of my professional purposes was to connect young people to local business leaders and innovators. We led our first program in the summer of 2012 in Durham and have since executed programs in 20+communities around North Carolina and Virginia.

When I’m not working with communities and schools on summer programs, I lead entrepreneurship at Campbell University (south of Raleigh, NC). Living in Hillsborough, NC and getting outdoors (mountain biking, landscaping, hiking) as much as possible with Angie, Olivia, Andrew, and Kathryn is what continues to keep me going.