AIBU to ask if you would pay for this?

[Sunflowers095]

I have a business idea but I wonder if there would actually be a demand. Essentially, I've been thinking a lot about how different backgrounds affect your ability to succeed professionally, as well as how graduates are struggling for work.

It would be a platform for women, the main idea is mentoring. So for example, a student (or someone looking for a career change) would have access to things like CV templates/reviews, forum, 1 on 1 calls with women who have experience/are accomplished in their careers and can act as a mentor.

This would exist as a free and premium version (mentoring would be premium).

It would be a partnership with the mentors directly (where they would be paid a fee) or an agreement with their company to have them represent the business as a mentor. The companies/mentors would benefit by having younger people with skills but no experience provide ideas/small projects. A bit like a competition but the company can use winning ideas.

I am yet to iron out exactly the details but want to validate it first. Personally I would pay for a service like this & I think new generations are less family oriented and more career driven.

It could make a great addition to the CV of the younger women as well as the mentors, serve as a community aimed at helping women succeed professionally.

If the premium version cost for example £20 would you buy it? Assuming it's a monthly rolling subscription that can be cancelled anytime and you can benefit from unlimited resources and a monthly mentoring call? Thanks in advance!

Are you basically wanting to create a recruitment agency for graduates?

I wouldn't pay for the platform personally in terms of a subscription if that was the intention.

How would you stop men from being part of this?

No

I can see why a young person would pay for it, but I can't see why career women would do it. They would have to give up a lot of time for free. Younger people with no experience providing ideas isn't compensation. Their ideas will probably be rubbish 99% of the time.

@girlmom21

Are you basically wanting to create a recruitment agency for graduates?

I wouldn't pay for the platform personally in terms of a subscription if that was the intention.

Nope not recruitment, more focused on career guidance (although a good opportunity to network too).

For example you might be a young woman from a working class background, looking to start a career in field x. You'd have access to resources about paths you could take to get there & connect with a mentor who is established in this career.

Should you do an apprenticeship? If so, which? Go to uni? Is experience important? What should be on your CV?

Your mentor could be a great support in this. Same for women who are stuck in their careers or for example stuck in their current role with no progression. How to negotiate salary? How to get promoted?

It's more like a skillshare/experience share platform aimed at women to help them exceed, with a personal touch not just resources aimed at everyone.

Sorry but not for me. I have all of that for free through my uni's alumni group.

As you describe it, the graduate pays for a mentor (what training for the mentors?) and provides ideas for projects and feasible ideas for free, and there is no guarantee that they will get any benefit, employment or anything out of it. You can get CV templates and reviews for free in various places already - not sure why anyone would want to pay for this.

Maybe I am missing something but I can't see much in it for the mentoree.

If the person doesn't have a job, it's an expense they probably couldn't afford.
If the person does have a job, they'd be far better asking for mentoring opportunities within their company.

What qualifications would your mentors have?
What qualifications would you actually be giving people that they can put on their CVs?
Why would anyone pay to give away their own ideas whilst paying you to work for the "mentor"?
Also how would you guarantee that it's women only and how do you define a woman?
How would you protect your students/mentee(sp) from being taken advantage of (in regard of any unpaid work that mentors pass their way)?
Tbh it screams scam to me but I could just be particularly jaded and suspicious but I wouldn't use it and would advise others to avoid it as it sounds really dodgy

@Sunflowers095 so do the mentors get paid? What training and support do they have?

How do these young, working class women with no career path afford to pay for the service? At what point do they stop paying? How are you qualified to give this guidance? What if the guidance doesn't help them?

You mention networking but who do they network with if you're not supporting with recruitment?

Are you expecting young women from low-income backgrounds to pay a monthly fee for this? I don’t think that would work. It also feels at odds with the ethos of the initiative.

Unless I’m missing something.

Surprised at some of the responses here. I would have thought if mentoring from uni/current job would be that easily available graduates and many women wouldn't struggle professionally but they do.

In terms of how mentors will be paid/how this will work operationally it's still not decided. Its just an idea and my key question is as someone using the service, would you see value in it.

For example, having an opportunity to sit in with talks from women working at Google or Microsoft. Being mentored one on one by women in your field etc.

Please for the sake of this assume that the mentors are being rewarded accordingly, they're verified, etc. - would you see value in it to use the service in a premium model?

@MoveOnTheCards

Are you expecting young women from low-income backgrounds to pay a monthly fee for this? I don’t think that would work. It also feels at odds with the ethos of the initiative.

Unless I’m missing something.

People pay for Spotify, Netflix, sky, and other stuff. I think career driven women would be able to prioritize this cost as it could deliver them value rather than entertainment.

There could be a probono initiative where the premium subscription is free for people from the most underprivileged backgrounds.

Also though, often it doesn't come down to money but more a lack of support - if your parents are working class and you want a corporate career it's a lot harder to advance than for someone who has a lot of guidance from family.

I wouldn't use the service. I'm not a graduate but I do work in a profession where experience is valued and mentoring is literally my job. I think the platform would be way too narrowly focussed and wouldn't lend itself to supporting young women in an accessible way.

I certainly wouldn't pay for use of the platform or feel comfort using it as a mentor.

No, 'you might be a young woman from a working class background', how much more patronising can you be
I'd avoid you like the plague

I don't know but it's a worth a try if it costs little to start up. If it doesn't thrive you will have learned a lot and not lost too much.

No

Have you run the financials of this, how is it going to make any money? Are you expecting the mentors to volunteer their time? £20 gets you 1 hour 50 minutes of someone's time at London Living Wage, and I think it would be safe to assume that mentors of the calibre you describe would expect significantly more than this. £20pm might be realistic for access to preprepared materials, but anything personalised would be loss making at this price.

I know someone who’s doing something similar for free. She has a popular YouTube and Instagram. Started off as a studytuber and now she’s graduated, she’s doing mentoring.

I think this is a good idea. I found it so so hard to get a foot in the door of any company after I graduated. I was awful at interviews, my cv was shit etc. I would have loved a bit of ‘proper’ guidance. It’s all very well friends and family encouraging you. But it’s awful feeling so downtrodden getting so many rejections and not having any one help you realise your mistakes or help you improve.

I say go for it!

@SmellThat

No, 'you might be a young woman from a working class background', how much more patronising can you be I'd avoid you like the plague

??? I'm literally just pointing out that it's harder to advance your career if you're from a working class background.

I myself struggled a lot with adjusting to building my own career since my parents didn't have any experience or understanding of how corporate environments work. Not sure why it's wrong to point this out, maybe you should relax a bit.

No, most industries already have mentorship schemes for women and there are plenty of groups/events for “women in advertising” or “women who code” for example.

I also regularly get LinkedIn messages from women with these type of businesses asking if I need help with developing my career/finding my next role. To be honest, it feels a bit like these MLM career coaches that are popping up all over the place at the moment and I consider them to be spam.

Sorry having re-read, it is not clear whether it is your intention for this to be a money making business, or a charity (which would only need to break even)?

@BakedTattie

I think this is a good idea. I found it so so hard to get a foot in the door of any company after I graduated. I was awful at interviews, my cv was shit etc. I would have loved a bit of ‘proper’ guidance. It’s all very well friends and family encouraging you. But it’s awful feeling so downtrodden getting so many rejections and not having any one help you realise your mistakes or help you improve.

I say go for it!

Same here! Took a long time to really understand how to prep for interviews, how to negotiate, how to advance, etc. I'm really happy at where I am now but I think having some guidance would have helped me get here with more ease/sooner. Thanks for the feedback!

There’s also already a company who do this type of thing with students from diverse backgrounds, connecting them with big corporate companies for experience and mentorship that you might like to look at - MyKindaFuture