QUESTIONS FOUNDERS ASK
What does a strategic mentor actually do in a session?
By Ivanka Menken, Strategic Mentor·Updated
In each 60-minute session Ivanka Menken works through the same four steps with the founder: the one thing that matters this fortnight, the numbers behind it, the story the founder is telling themselves about it, and one commitment, written down. Between sessions there is a one-page monthly scorecard and short messages when a decision cannot wait.
What are the four steps of a session?
- The one thing: what matters most this fortnight, with everything else parked.
- The numbers: the figures behind it, read together.
- The story: what you are telling yourself about it, tested with questions and experience.
- The commitment: one decision or action, written down, checked at the next session.
Why the same four steps every time?
Because firefighting fills any open agenda. A fixed structure protects the time for the decision that keeps getting pushed back, and it makes progress visible: twelve sessions produce twelve written commitments, each one checked.
What happens between sessions?
Once a month the founder fills in a one-page scorecard of five numbers: weeks of payroll covered by cash, gross margin, the price of the newest work against a year ago, commitments kept, and confidence from 1 to 10. Short messages are answered within two working days when a decision cannot wait.
What is reviewed at month 3 and month 6?
The whole scorecard, read together: what moved, what did not, and what comes next. Those two reviews turn a run of fortnightly sessions into a six-month view of whether the business is keeping more money and the founder is thinking more clearly.
What does a strategic mentor not do?
Ivanka does not do the work for you, keep your accounts or give financial advice, and she is not a therapist. She asks the questions, shares what she has seen in 25 years of building a business, and holds you to what you decided.
How does Ivanka work on this?
This is the structure of Ivanka's 1:1 Mentoring and every program built on it.
What else do founders ask about this?
How long is a session with Ivanka Menken?
Sessions in Ivanka Menken's 1:1 Mentoring are 60 minutes, once a fortnight, on Zoom, twelve in total over six months. Each one follows the same four steps and ends with one written commitment. If you need a single decision settled instead, her Strategic Clarity Intensive is one private session of 90 minutes.
What should I bring to a session?
Bring the one thing that matters most this fortnight and the numbers behind it. Ivanka Menken will ask about the story you are telling yourself, so it helps to have thought about why the decision keeps slipping. Your monthly scorecard of five numbers gives both of you the same picture of the business.
What happens if I do not keep a commitment?
It becomes the topic, not a judgement. Ivanka Menken opens each session by checking the last written commitment. When it did not happen, the reason usually says more about the business than the commitment itself, and commitments kept is one of the five numbers on the monthly scorecard.
Can I contact Ivanka Menken between sessions?
Yes. In Ivanka Menken's 1:1 Mentoring short messages are answered within two working days when a decision cannot wait. Larger questions are kept for the next session, so the fortnightly rhythm stays protected time rather than becoming another channel in the firefighting.