No course. No sales pitch. Just experienced commercial perspective, candid discussion and help working out what to do next.
Because we see mistakes early.
We have seen people spend money before testing whether anybody actually wants what they are selling, overcomplicate good ideas, focus on branding before understanding the customer, overlook obvious regulatory issues or simply freeze because everyone else appears to know what they are doing.
We have made mistakes ourselves too. There are decisions we would have made differently if somebody experienced had challenged us earlier.
If a useful conversation can save somebody six months, an unnecessary expense or an avoidable commercial mistake, it is worth having.
There are benefits for us as well. Mentoring builds relationships and networks, exposes us to businesses and ideas we might never otherwise encounter and, frankly, it is interesting.
Anybody who feels they need experienced perspective can ask. We particularly want this program to remain accessible to people for whom paid mentoring or consultancy may not presently be realistic.
You must be legally an adult in the jurisdiction that applies to you. We do not mentor people who remain legal minors where they live or are otherwise legally treated as minors.
No person under 16 will be accepted under any circumstances.
The exact conversation depends on what you are trying to do. Common topics include:
We are not going to tell you every idea is fantastic. We may tell you the economics look weak, the timing is wrong, a regulatory issue needs attention or that we would not spend another dollar on something yet.
You are allowed to disagree. Good mentoring should improve your judgment, not replace it.
Not knowing what to do is absolutely fine. Refusing to engage with every possible next step is different.
We are happy to discuss basic legal, commercial, regulatory or professional issues where doing so helps somebody we are mentoring understand the wider picture.
What the program cannot become is a way of obtaining substantial legal work, drafting, research, consultancy or another service for free simply by calling it mentoring.
We use AI and do not object to sensible AI use by people we mentor. It can be excellent for research, brainstorming and organization. It can also be confidently wrong.
We have seen unchecked reliance on AI contribute to an upper-five-figure commercial opportunity deteriorating into an exercise in trying to salvage a four-figure outcome.
Where we ask for your own words, we mean your own words. If mentoring becomes little more than us having a conversation with AI-generated responses, we may end the relationship.
We will not mentor somebody to facilitate unlawful activity. We also do not ordinarily accept firearms or weapons businesses, recreational or controlled-drug businesses, multi-level marketing schemes or cryptocurrency businesses.
Other ethically, politically, religiously or reputationally sensitive areas are considered case by case. Regulated sectors may be discussed strategically, but mentoring is not a substitute for specialist professional advice.
Sanctions, export controls, restricted-party rules, national-security requirements or other legal restrictions may prevent us from accepting an application.
We treat mentoring communications as confidential and will not use somebody's confidential business information for our own commercial advantage.
That confidentiality continues after mentoring ends, subject to narrow exceptions where disclosure is required by law or genuinely necessary in connection with safeguarding, whistleblowing, abuse or exploitation, a credible risk of serious harm, sufficiently serious criminal conduct or another circumstance where non-disclosure would be unlawful or clearly inappropriate.
Mentoring confidentiality is not the same thing as legal professional privilege.
We expect the same respect for our confidential information and private correspondence.
There is no fixed term. Some people may need a few conversations; others may remain in contact much longer. We periodically consider whether the relationship is still useful, and either side can end it at any time.
Email is usually easiest. Calls, video conversations and WhatsApp can be used where useful. Social platforms such as Reddit are fine for meeting people but too clunky for substantive mentoring, so we normally move away from them.
We do not use Signal for this program.
We may occasionally introduce people from our network where we think it would genuinely help. That is discretionary and participation does not create an entitlement to access our contacts.
Discussing an idea with us does not give Aubrey International ownership of it. Our own templates, frameworks, prompts, methodologies and materials remain ours unless expressly agreed otherwise.
Mentoring cannot guarantee that a business will launch, succeed, become profitable, secure funding, attract customers, create employment or achieve any other particular outcome.
We may help you think. We may help you avoid a mistake. We may occasionally open a door. You still have to decide whether to walk through it.
You do not need to complete a long form. Email us in your own words. It is helpful to include your name, country, confirmation that you are legally an adult where you live, a little about your background, what you are trying to achieve (if you know), and what you would particularly like help thinking through.
Please do not send identification documents, medical records, banking information, passwords, account credentials or large document bundles unless we specifically ask for something.
Applications are considered subject to capacity. If we are full, we may use a waiting list, temporarily close applications or invite you to try again later.
