Peer groups enable businesses to advance growth by two to three times their normal levels. It is the personal experience of running a business that makes peer-to-peer support distinct from the counsel of other people. Founders understand the responsibility and pressures of being at the helm of a startup business in a way that others simply cannot. They are a great source of information, pragmatic advice and mentoring and, by leaning on individuals who have already ‘been there, done that’, entrepreneurs can create valuable returns for their business and drive longer term growth. There is also a sense of community, belonging that glues founders together.
A peer network that can provide support doesn’t just happen on its own. At Platform6, we took a proactive role to facilitate and build it because just having a large network of peers that you don’t meet regularly cannot be considered quality peer support.
Members-only bi-weekly gatherings of founders, co-founders and CEOs at Platform6
A moment for a member of the community to shine and share best practices and growth hacks
Topics range from fundraising, a startup journey, sales to selecting tech tools and hiring new employees
Bi-weekly mastermind calls for founders, co-founders and CEOs
Confidential peer support group on Slack for CEOs and founders at Platform6
Brainstorm a solution for your recent challenge, ask for a template or a contact and help others too
Regular meetings of founders to discuss a particular area of business - sales, HR, expansion, tech infrastructure and more
Based in the initiatives and current pains or milestones of Platform6 members
Can take a form of a face-to-face workshop or a discussion
Platform6 peer support network is of great value for first-time founders especially as they can always reach out to serial entrepreneurs and startups that are farther in their journey - at the seed and Series A levels. You will get just-tested, latest growth hacks that proved to work for other companies like yours and learn from a direct experience. Think of it as an effective innovation machine that keeps improving thanks to constant experimentation and exchange of knowledge.
Not to mention that founders can give more relevant feedback than some mentors and provide you with peer pressure to keep you motivated (and walk that extra mile to close a sales deal or a funding round). In addition to this, the tough moments won't feel as tough because you are not the only one dealing with these issues. You will feel as if you are part of one big team and will work through your struggles with the help of actionable support.
In a nutshell, at Platform6 we encourage peer support and have built a system that facilitates regular interactions between founders, including those who joined just recently.
