Benjamin Webster, Troopl

Member story

“Coming back to mentors a couple of months down the track to demonstrate progress and ask for feedback. That's really powerful.”

Benjamin Webster

Co-Founder · Troopl

Netherlands · troopl.com ↗ · Sep 2021

BootstrappingCoachingStrategy

The Work

Tell us about what you are currently working on.

Troopl is two Australian bootstrappers building a portfolio platform. I'm the non-technical one.

Troopl is a portfolio platform for junior web developers to showcase their work and be discovered by companies.

Before

Before you learned about GrowthMentor, how did you deal with the challenges you faced?

It's hard to know whose advice to take when you're feeling like a fish out of water and everything is new. Before GrowthMentor, I used to research problems myself, but always found it hard to relate learnings back to my exact challenge.

I would tap into my network, spend a lot of time on youtube videos and read endless articles on LinkedIn.

The Decision

What ultimately compelled you to sign up for GrowthMentor?

The promise of 12 months' worth of expert opinions and support was too good to turn down. I knew I needed personal coaching on a really wide range of topics.

Inside the Platform

What's your favorite thing about GrowthMentor?

Coming back to mentors a couple of months down the track to demonstrate progress and ask for feedback. That's really powerful.

What topics have you mostly discussed with mentors?

A really wide range, which is exactly what I signed up for. User research, the fundamentals of marketing a new product and our messaging, idea validation, and building out a lean canvas and roadmap. As a non-technical, first-time founder, pretty much everything was new.

The Breakthrough

Is there a specific session/mentor that stands out in your mind as super helpful?

My second session with Barbara Stewart was really impactful. I was able to demonstrate progress on what she tasked me with thinking about and actioning. Then we started making a solid roadmap for the future. Everything was simple, and honestly fun. Daphne Tideman was another highlight, maybe my favourite session of all, she took our key marketing messages and made restructuring them look effortless.

The Transformation

How has GrowthMentor helped you?

It's still really early days for my startup, but without GrowthMentor I wouldn't have the clarity and momentum towards our goals that I'm currently enjoying.

I think it's important to always practice your listening skills. To do this with true experts across so many fields has compounded my improvement and enjoyment of simply listening.

The Verdict