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Mentor helps training providers make their work easier. The platform, conceived by director and founder Jan Gjaltema, automates administrative, financial and communication processes, so training providers can focus again on what it's really about: training. "Training providers often get bogged down in all kinds of tasks that have nothing to do with training. With our team at Mentor, we make sure it all just happens. Less admin, more time for the content," says Jan.

The foundation for Mentor was laid at Symbiotic, the company Jan founded earlier. After years in IT and consulting, he saw an opportunity to use technology in a more personal, smarter way. "For years we used IT to build ever-bigger websites, but I actually wanted to develop something that helps people do their work better. How can processes be better and faster, and how do you organise that? That's how Mentor came about."

With the Symbiotic team, he built the platform step by step, specifically for the training industry. Today, Mentor helps training providers run their entire organisation from a single system. And successfully: "In the end, our clients need to get more out of Mentor than it costs them. At one of our clients, using Mentor freed up 3 FTE: those employees can now focus on high-impact work elsewhere in the organisation. That's pure gain."

From inbound to outbound

Mentor grew steadily, but the commercial side lagged behind. "We didn't do enough with sales. We mostly relied on inbound marketing — our website, content and visibility — but that doesn't happen overnight. We also needed to take outbound steps," Jan explains.

Through a mutual connection, Jan heard about Barry. A conversation with co-founder Boudewijn soon followed. "I was sceptical, honestly. But Boudewijn was enthusiastic and immediately saw the potential in Mentor. We agreed: try it for three months, then evaluate. That was a clear agreement, and it suited both our down-to-earth approaches well," Jan looks back.

Nothing but good conversations

Barry got to work with a clear goal: structurally generating good meetings for Mentor. "Boudewijn and his team dove into our story, and Bowen is now in our office one fixed day a week. That works fantastically. He's getting to know our product and knows exactly where the sweet spot is for organisations. It's genuinely surprised me how well it's going."

"I'm a content person. When I talk to someone, I want to explain right away why it works. Bowen, on the other hand, focuses first on booking that conversation, so I can focus on the content later. That's a good division. Every single meeting Barry delivers is a good conversation," Jan says about how the collaboration brought structure to the commercial process.

Enthusiastic, sharp and forward-thinking

Eleven meetings were booked in the first month, and that number is still growing, Jan says: "They're all conversations that matter. They certainly won't all become clients, but they're all people who are pre-qualified for a good conversation. The quality is high."

Barry and Mentor have been working together since June, and the click is good, says Jan: "The people at Barry are sharp and forward-thinking. They quickly understand what you do and where the opportunities lie. It's a collaboration that genuinely grows along with the stage our organisation is in. They're always looking at how things can be better — that enthusiasm is contagious."

Big plans

Mentor's ambitions are big, but realistic. "Our goal is four new clients a month, and 250 clients in total by 2030. We made that plan together with Barry." First growing nationally, then internationally, but always with the same foundation: collaboration, a level head and personal contact. "The dream is big, but the goal and the approach are practical and realistic. And the great thing is: thanks to the collaboration with Barry, it's simply achievable."