Overview
Business coach Chris Westfall explains why founders should resist making a formal mentorship ask too soon, and how to test for alignment, invite candid feedback, and build a relationship that sharpens strategy over time.
Most founders know they need advice. The harder part is figuring out who to trust, and how to start that relationship without turning it into an awkward ask.
In his Concept to Cure lesson, Chris Westfall, a business coach for executives and organizations, lays out how that relationship actually develops in practice and how to make the relationship with your mentor as productive as possible once you’ve found the right person.
View the entire lesson of our Concept to Cure course: How to Build Your Inner Circle. All lessons available exclusively to Cure members.
Skip the Formal Ask
Westfall cautions against opening with a direct request for mentorship. The instinct makes sense, but it often forces a decision before either side knows whether there is real alignment. Instead, he suggests starting with a clearer internal filter: why this person?
What specifically draws you to them? It might be how they think through risk, how they’ve handled high-stakes moments, or how they communicate when things get difficult. That clarity becomes your hypothesis, and the next step is to test it.
He recommends having a real conversation, ideally in person or over video, where tone and body language are visible. Live dialogue reveals far more than a long email thread ever could. You can see how someone frames problems, how directly they answer questions, and whether their perspective genuinely stretches your thinking.
It is also reasonable to ask about their experience supporting other founders. What did that involvement look like? How did they contribute when things were not going smoothly? Those answers will not predict your outcome, but they do show how the person operates in a support role. At this stage, you are not assigning a title but the fit.
Be Ready to Hear What You Asked For
Even when you find the right person to mentor you, the relationship will stall if you cannot absorb honest feedback.
Ask yourself whether you can listen to criticism of your strategy without hearing it as criticism of yourself or your mission. If every tough question triggers a defense of your product, your past decisions, or your leadership, the conversation quickly loses its value.
A productive support relationship requires clear context. You have to signal that candor is welcome and that disagreement is not a threat. When that expectation is explicit, feedback becomes less personal and more useful.
Not every suggestion will resonate. Some may miss the mark entirely. Still, those exchanges can clarify your own thinking, either by exposing blind spots or by reinforcing what you believe to be true.
The takeaway is straightforward. A meaningful support system is built through repeated, honest conversations that test ideas and assumptions over time. The title matters far less than the quality of the dialogue.
Concept to Cure Video Series
We are proud to introduce Concept to Cure, our 12-part video series built for healthcare founders and operators turning breakthrough ideas into real-world impact.
Across these expert-led lessons, biotech CEOs, venture investors, and policy leaders share the frameworks and hard-won lessons that move innovations from early concept to clinic and beyond.
From validating your market and building investor-ready business models to navigating FDA approvals, scaling commercialization, and leading high-performing teams, each episode distills the practical insights entrepreneurs need most.
Concept to Cure lessons are available exclusively to Cure members.
