“There is no school of entrepreneurship. You have to go through the school of life… Sitting down and bringing value and experience through business ventures – that is very important to me.”

The North Atlanta Venture Mentoring Service (NAV) celebrated its five-year anniversary in July of this year—and it’s still growing. Run and trained by MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service, NAV is the first of its kind in Georgia. Based in Woodstock, NAV provides free, team-based mentoring for startups looking to expand and grow in the North Atlanta area.

Since its inception, NAV has served 31 companies and seen many of them grow and scale by opening additional locations, creating jobs and purchasing property, including Bethany Steel Supply, Alma Coffee, American Pillar Growers, Bizarre Coffee, Eden Smoothies and more.

“NAV has helped me motivate myself, focus, be strategic, and run my business with purpose,” said NAV graduate Clint Ober of American Pillars Growers. “I don’t know how to express my gratitude and thanks for the value my mentors and NAV have given me.”

While NAV is looking to expand its 27-person mentor team, many mentors have been with the company since its inception, including serial entrepreneur Mark Caldwell.

“I was one of those kids who had no idea what I wanted to do in high school, but I wanted to make money,” Caldwell said. “I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know how to do it, but I wanted to try everything in the world until I could figure it out.”

Mark attended the University of Michigan, studied computer science, and quickly entered the startup world. “One of my professors got me to work at a small software startup while I was in college. That’s how I got my first job,” Caldwell said.

His second job was an entrepreneurial revelation. “I always thought I should work for a big company, but I quickly realized I hated big companies,” Caldwell said. “I hated being lost in a sea of ​​people. I hated not knowing everyone. I hated having a long number on my check instead of my name.”

Over the course of his career, Mark founded several companies in various industries. “I can’t tell you all the companies I’ve worked at over the last 40 years, there have been so many. I’ve seen some fail, some succeed. I’ve held sales, marketing and leadership positions,” said Caldwell. “Then I started my own company. Then I started another company of my own, and so on.”

Mentoring has always played a big role for Mark. “There is no school of entrepreneurship. You have to go through the school of life,” Caldwell said. “One of my mentors, Jay Chaudry, was the hardest-working person I’ve ever known. He taught me the value of possessions – not paychecks – to build your own future.”

Mark joined NAV when it was founded in 2019. “I had experience working with small startups and wanted to give back. That’s what attracted me to NAV,” said Caldwell. “The opportunity to sit down and work through scenarios, add value and share experiences is very valuable to me and hopefully to the companies as well.”

In the five years since he joined, Mark has worked at seven companies. “When I was first introduced to NAV, I wasn’t really sold on the team mentoring approach, but that’s turned out to be my favorite part,” said Caldwell. “I particularly like the dialogue between the mentors when they disagree. I learn from that, maybe they learn from that, but the discussion between the mentors is possibly one of the most valuable things the mentee can get.”

NAV continues to look for qualified mentors. “Talk to potential mentors and give it a try. It’s worth the time and effort,” Caldwell said. “I’m excited to see where NAV is going. I’m glad I got involved.”

If you have an entrepreneurial background or have built and grown businesses and are interested in giving back to the business community, please visit northatlantavms.com to learn more and apply today. NAV is always looking for mentors who are willing to share their expertise and experience.

“We are so grateful to Mark and all of our mentors for their time and expertise,” said Misti Martin, president and CEO of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED). “We created NAV not only to support growing businesses, but also to encourage servant leadership and provide an opportunity to give back.”

NAV is managed by COED through its Fresh Start Cherokee initiative. The program is made possible by Cherokee By Choice, Inc.

Fresh Start Cherokee is a gathering place for breakthrough startups and bold entrepreneurs. Whether they’re providing educational opportunities, connecting founders through events and mentoring, or building a community in their coworking space, their mission is simple: to make starting and scaling companies less intimidating and more productive.

Start mentoring new entrepreneurs today. For more information and to apply, visit northatlantavms.com.

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Photos provided by: Mentoring service for businesses in North Atlanta