Episode 13: Mentorship - We’re in This Together with Julia Dexter and Jill Earthy

ABOUT THE EPISODE

“Mentorship actually started to be really core to the success of our growth at Squiggle Park, bringing in the right people at the right time.” – Julia Rivard Dexter, Squiggle Park

Mentorship is one of the most important relationships in an entrepreneur’s world. We hear it time and time again, your network and community are valuable. But developing a strong mentor-mentee relationship can impact you beyond what you realize. In this episode of The Go-To, we hear from both sides of the mentorship relationship – from a mentee and a mentor. First, we hear from Julia Rivard Dexter, Co-Founder and CEO of Squiggle Park and eager mentee. Then we discuss being a supportive mentor with Jill Earthy, Principal of Risery Consulting. Discover the secret behind the power of mentorship, let’s dive it!

In this episode:

Julia Rivard Dexter explains how mentorship was a core element of her businesses growth
Learn how to approach a mentorship relationship from the perspective of a mentee (Julia) and a mentor (Jill)
Jill Earthy shares how you can build a reciprocal relationship based on trust, zero judgement and respect
Understand the best ways to approach a mentor and value their time

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“Umm... I Missed That”

Entrepreneurship is a world of its own, which means the some of the lingo used might get lost in translation. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are a few of the key terms you’ll hear on this episode of The Go-To and what they actually mean.

Mentorship: a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person through an area of difficulty or uncertainty.

Reciprocal relationship: A relationship in which two people do or give similar things to each other.

Meet Our Guests

Julia Rivard Dexter, Co-Founder & CEO, Squiggle Park

Julia is an innovative tech entrepreneur and a former Olympian. She began her business career in graphic design and has gone on to lead several successful technology ventures, including SheepDogInc.ca, Google’s first North American premier apps partner; Code + Mortar, an innovative web and technology firm whose work has been recognized by the International Webby Awards; and pursu.it, a not-for-profit crowdfunding platform that has raised $1M+ for athletes who need support to reach their Olympic goals. Julia’s latest venture is as cofounder and CEO of Squiggle Park, which aims to improve literacy rates for children worldwide and was chosen as a Google for Entrepreneurs company.

Currently, she’s a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Round Table for Digital Industries. And in May 2018, Julia was recognized as one of the top 50 most influential Canadian women in STEM as a part of the Inspiring 50: Canada 2018.

Julia’s “Go-To” Advice:

Join a program or an accelerator - this is where you meet mentors and advisors
Don’t undervalue anyone’s time. Be prepared at every meeting.
Don’t underestimate the type of mentor you want to bring into your team

Find Julia on LinkedIn and on Twitter @julia76 and learn more about Squiggle Park at squigglepark.com

Jill Earthy, Principal, Risery Consulting

Jill Earthy is an entrepreneurially minded leader who believes diversity drives innovation. As a strategic advisor, Jill works on a number of projects including Female Funders (powered by Highine BETA) to empower female leaders to become investors in early stage companies through education and access. She was formerly the Chief Growth Officer of FrontFundr, an online investment platform, bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and investors. She has successfully built two companies nationally and sold them, and then spent 8 years in leadership roles in the non-profit sector supporting entrepreneurs including as CEO of The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Regional Director of Futurpreneur.

She is a community leader and active mentor, currently serving on the national Board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada and as Past Chair of the Women’s Enterprise Centre in BC. She is Co-Founder of the WEB Alliance, a collective of over 25 Women’s Business networks in BC and Co-Chairs the annual We for She Conference in Vancouver supporting the economic advancement of women. Jill was recently recognized by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion award as a Community Champion, by Business in Vancouver as an Influential Woman in Business and by WXN as one the Top 100 most powerful women in Canada in 2019.

Jill’s “Go-To” Advice:

Set ground rules at the beginning of any formal mentorship relationship. Determine what the goal is and how you want to build trust together.
When seeking a mentor, identify what you need.
Send your mentor a note a few days before your meeting listing a few things that are on your mind

Find Jill on LinkedIn and on Twitter @jearthy.