Our Story
This program started with the vision of Nikola and a single question:
"What makes some people more successful than others?
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Are they just born this way? Are they superior human beings? We don't think so! They are just individuals that were lucky enough to be surrounded by people that helped them grow. Based on an old saying: "Big fish grow up in a small pond", it is through other people that we, ourselves, grow. We cannot change our upbringing. Sometimes we cannot even change our surroundings. But we can change the community around us. By surrounding ourselves with people that help us grow, and by actively seeking and providing mentoring, we can mimick the circumstances that made some of our peers so successful. Personal growth is a journey that is best with friends.
About Nikola
Growing up, I thought I could do everything on my own. I thought asking for help was a weakness and comradery was purely recreational. As I started my professional career, not much changed. I wanted to be ahead of others, always faster and better. At work, I never asked for help. Most of what I learned, I learned by myself. And it worked. There's something to be said about figuring things out on your own. However, we also don't have to re-invert the wheel all the time. Often times, it makes sense to not treat everything as a life lesson, and step on the knowledge and experiences of others.
Fast-forward to a decade later, I know all too well that some lessons are too harsh to be always learned the hard way. In fact, a one sentence advice from someone with the right experience can save you years, by not going down the wrong path. Now I understand, it's not only okay to seek help, but also critical to moving in a good pace. Even a king doesn't rule alone. A king always has a truthworthy counsel that helps guide the kingdom forward.


Getting into mentorship
I have mentored less experienced colleagues at work before. However, where my journey as a mentor really began, was in 2024, when I joined MentorTheYoung - a program for helping young people (20 to 25 years old) with their goals. It was a 3-months per season program where you help a mentee with their professional development. There, I found that I had a passion for mentoring and get a lot of energy from helping others. Through that, I also relived a lot of the excitement of starting out. My mentees did an incredible job making me think strategically and giving me tough problems to solve.
A turning point
Year 2024 was tough for me. We had sold our startup in 2022 for peanuts and we spend 2022 and 2023 trying to build something new. After having some ups and downs, it was getting clearer and clearer that these enterprises were not going to be successful.
I was left alone, needed to get a regular job and was uterly clueless as to what I wanted to do with my life. It was a time of struggle, hummility and self-discovery. Suddenly, the answers I was looking for could not be found in a book or on the internet. What I needed was a bespoke solution - a way forward, specific to only me.
I read a lot of stories about famous and successful people and I saw that one thing they often had in common, was that they had people around them, from which they could learn. Even if they were self-thought, they usually had someone that could show them the way and accelerate their development. Then I remembered the mentoring I was doing, I remembered all the times my mentees were coming to me with their issues and worries and how they needed someone that had gone through the same path and already knew many of the solutions.

The idea
Putting it all together, I realized that mentoring is not something you do when you are young, or if you're disadvantaged. Mentoring is something you need your whole life. There's always something more to learn and the right person that can teach you.
That's why I set out to create a mentoring program that takes people from point N to point N + 1, no matter what N is.

The vision
My vision is to enable everyone to seek and receive support from other members of a community via mentorship and collaboration.
Join Our Community
Whether you're looking to grow in your career, share your expertise, or simply be part of a community that values continuous learning and development, we invite you to join us. Together, we can create a future where everyone has access to the guidance and support they need to reach their full potential.