INSIDE 1:1 MENTORING
Stop Old Obligations Steering New Decisions
You closed one business and started another, and every new decision still stops at the same question: is that still tied to the old company? Ivanka Menken uses the Fortnight Loop inside 1:1 Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, to list each old obligation, mark what goes to a specialist and what you can decide, and write one 14-day decision. Ivanka does not give legal or financial advice.
The Fortnight Loop is a tool inside the programme, not a separate product. Not legal, financial or insolvency advice.
AN EXAMPLE FOUNDER STARTING AGAIN
A new business, and five questions about the old one.
- OLD OBLIGATIONSvan and tools, a guarantee, a lease, a loan, a supplier5 listed
- TO A SPECIALISTthe ones only advice can settle3
- THE DECISIONone new arrangement paused until advice returns14 days
THE RULE
“Every old obligation is either with a specialist or decided. None of them stays in the room unnamed.”
Your list will be your own.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
A new business still answering to the old one
- 01You closed a business and are not sure what is still attached to it.
- 02New decisions stall on questions about old equipment, leases or guarantees.
- 03You have asked for a quick answer more than once and still feel unsure.
THE OLD BUSINESS, AS IT STANDS
- Equipment: in use, ownership unclear
- Personal guarantee: signed, status unknown
- Lease: maybe ended
- Old supplier account: still emailing
- New decisions waiting on all of it: three
Nothing on the list had an owner or a date.
THE EXAMPLE CASE
The founder whose new business kept asking the old one for permission
01
THE MOMENT
A new client kept waiting on an old question
A new client wants to start next month, and you need the van and the tools from the old business to do the job. You think they are yours now. You are not sure. There is a guarantee you signed years ago, a lease that may or may not have ended, and a supplier who still emails the old address. You put off the new client while you work it out at night.
02
WHAT THEY HAD TRIED
A one-off answer, then another
In this case, the founder had closed a small fit-out business and started a new maintenance company with two staff. Each time a new decision touched the old business, the obvious fix was a quick question to someone who might know. Each answer covered one item, the next decision raised another, and the founder never had a full picture of what was still attached.
03
WHAT IVANKA NOTICED
Old obligations in the room, unnamed
Ivanka noticed every new business decision was being made around old obligations the founder had assumed would simply disappear. None of them was written down. Some needed a lawyer or an accountant, and some only needed the founder to decide, but they all felt the same size, so everything waited.
THE DIAGNOSIS
A decision rhythm, not one legal answer
The real problem was not a single legal answer. It was the lack of a rhythm that kept old obligations visible, sent the right ones to advice, and gave the new business a written point where each one stopped steering.
The reframe: list every old obligation, mark each one either take to a specialist or decided, and make one 14-day decision for the new business that respects what is still open. Review it at the next fortnight, and move each item on.
Every old obligation is either with a specialist or decided.
THE COST OF STAYING STUCK
Every unnamed obligation stalls a new decision, and a new business that waits on the old one loses the clients it was started for.
THE TOOL
The Fortnight Loop, for a founder starting again
The Fortnight Loop is how 1:1 Mentoring turns the next decision into a written commitment and reviews it after 14 days. For a founder starting again, the loop first sorts the old obligations, so each new commitment is made knowing what is with a specialist and what is settled.
Tap a part. The items and dates are an example; your list and advisers will be your own.
Fortnight Loop · a framework by Ivanka Menken
What it is
It is one page in three parts: the old obligations, each marked take to a specialist or decided, with who and by when; one 14-day decision for the new business, such as pausing a new arrangement until advice comes back; and the review at the next fortnight, where each item moves on.
What it replaces
It replaces late-night worry, one-off questions answered piecemeal, and new decisions put off until everything about the old business feels certain.
It sits inside 1:1 Mentoring, in the fortnightly session. Ivanka does not give legal, financial or insolvency advice; the specialist items go to your lawyer or accountant, and the loop makes sure they do. There is no separate checkout.
THE LOOP, AS WRITTEN (EXAMPLE)
- 01Old obligations listed: five
- 02Take to a specialist: the van and tools, the personal guarantee, the old loan
- 03Decided: the lease (it had ended, the letter is filed) and the old supplier account (closed)
- 04The 14-day decision: the new client starts with hired equipment until advice on the van returns
- 05Review: next fortnight, each item moved on or rescheduled
- 06No new arrangement touches an item still with a specialist
HOW IVANKA WORKED WITH THEM
From five worries to one written decision
In the session, Ivanka asked the founder to list everything from the old business that still felt attached, without judging any of it. Then they marked each item: something only a lawyer or accountant could settle, or something the founder could decide that day. The founder booked the specialist calls, closed two items on the spot, and wrote one 14-day decision for the new client.
THE DECISION, AS WRITTEN
- The list
- Every old obligation, written down without judging it.
- Specialist or decided
- Each item marked, with who and by when.
- The 14-day decision
- One new commitment that respects what is still open.
- The review
- Next fortnight: each item moves on.
- Review
- At the next fortnightly session
Your list and your advisers will be your own.
THE FOUR-STEP LOOP
- 1The one thingOld obligations steering every new decision.
- 2The numbersFive items, three to a specialist, two decided, one 14-day decision.
- 3The storyWhy one-off answers never gave a full picture.
- 4The commitmentThe specialist calls booked, and the new client started safely.
THE QUESTIONS
- What from the old business still feels attached?
- Which of these can only a specialist settle?
- Which can you decide today?
- What new decision is waiting on them?
- What can go ahead safely while advice comes back?
Before the next session, the founder had the specialist calls, started the new client with hired equipment, and brought the advice that came back to the review.
WHAT CHANGED
A new business that decides for itself
By month 6, the old obligations are either settled or with a specialist on a date, new decisions are made each fortnight with that list in view, and the new business no longer waits on the old one.
BEFORE
- Old obligations nobody had written down.
- One-off answers, one item at a time.
- New clients put off.
- Worry worked through at night.
BY MONTH 6
- A full list, each item marked.
- Specialist items booked and returned.
- One written decision each fortnight.
- New work started safely.
THE 12 FORTNIGHTS
- 1Call
- 2Call
- 3Call
- 4Call
- 5Call
- 6Month 3
- 7Call
- 8Call
- 9Call
- 10Call
- 11Call
- 12Month 6
The programme is the container: 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions, a monthly scorecard, and reviews at month 3 and month 6.
ILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
In this case, the founder paused one new arrangement for 14 days, started the client with hired equipment, and took the van and tools, the guarantee and the old loan to specialist advice. At the next review, the founder could say which items still needed a lawyer or accountant and which had only been avoidance.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Write the old list before the next new decision
Ivanka Menken runs 1:1 Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses, including founders who are starting again after closing a business. Old obligations that nobody has listed make every new decision feel risky, so the new business waits.
This fits if you have closed or wound down a business and your new one keeps stalling on what is still attached. It does not fit if you need legal, insolvency or tax advice; that is for your lawyer and accountant. The decision in front of you is the list. Write it, then mark each item.
“Helps founders lead with clarity and integrity by modelling vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and grounded decision-making. Creates an environment where leaders can openly explore challenges and grow without fear of judgement.”
R.W., founder
WHO IT IS FOR
It fits
- You closed one business and started another.
- New decisions stall on old equipment, leases or guarantees.
- You will book specialist advice where it is needed.
- You will make one written decision each fortnight.
It does not fit
- You need legal, insolvency or tax advice.
- You want someone to deal with creditors for you.
- You are still trading the old business day to day.
- You want a quick answer rather than a rhythm.
THE INVESTMENT
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
6 months · 12 fortnightly sessions
The Fortnight Loop is part of 1:1 Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.
- 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions
- The monthly scorecard
- Reviews at month 3 and month 6
- The Fortnight Loop for your old and new obligations
Three founding places in total, shared across 1:1 Mentoring and its three focus programmes, are available at A$1,000 a month, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. Claim a founding place.
The Fortnight Loop is part of the programme. It is not sold separately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about old obligations and new decisions
How do I stop an old business affecting decisions in a new one?
Write every old obligation down, then mark each one: take to a specialist, or decided. Book the specialist items with a date. Then make one 14-day decision for the new business that respects what is still open. Ivanka Menken runs that loop with you inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. She does not give legal advice.
Can I use equipment from a business I closed?
That depends on who owns it and what it is tied to, which is a question for your lawyer or accountant, not a mentor. What Ivanka Menken does is make sure the question is written down, taken to the right person by a date, and that your new work goes ahead safely meanwhile, inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
What is the Fortnight Loop?
One written decision every 14 days, reviewed at the next session. You name the decision, what will happen, and what you will look at afterwards. For a founder starting again, it begins with the list of old obligations. Ivanka Menken uses the Fortnight Loop inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, with twelve fortnightly sessions.
Is this legal or insolvency advice?
No. Ivanka Menken does not give legal, financial or insolvency advice. She helps you see every old obligation, decide which ones go to your lawyer or accountant, and keep making decisions for the new business while that advice comes back. That work sits inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, in the fortnightly session.
Write the list first
If your new business keeps stalling on questions about the old one, start with 1:1 Mentoring. The Fortnight Loop is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether the programme fits.
Not legal, financial or insolvency advice.