How to Build a Startup Advisory Board (Use Proof or Credibility)
You don't need more connections. You need the right ones committed to your momentum.
What You'll Learn
This module shows you how to build a founder support system that drives growth. You'll learn when and how to use mentors, coaches, advisors, and peers to unlock insight, confidence, and leverage.
TLDR
- •how to build a startup advisory board: recruit 2–4 advisors with complementary superpowers; comp 0.1–0.25% (2‑year vest, 90‑day cliff).
- •Tie comp to deliverables (intros, deals, hires).
- •Run quarterly board + monthly check‑ins with KPIs.
- •Replace non‑performers quickly; no vanity advisors.
Intro
Founders don't build startups alone. But most build the wrong support system. This module helps you design your Founder Tribe - the high-leverage people who accelerate clarity, introduce capital, push decisions, and sharpen momentum.
Newsletter
Find Your Titan
Hey Reader,
Founders. Get a mentor. Get an advisor. You don't know it all. Every legendary entrepreneur will tell you, the real cheat code was finding that one guru, that oracle who has been there, done that, and was willing to share the playbook.
Accelerate everything. Step on less landmines. Get there quicker: You just need one titan in your corner to change everything.
Don't wait for organic chance encounters, manifest it, be proactive, actively seek. The greatest talents, those seasoned veterans who've weathered storms you're approaching, they're out there. They're looking for mentees like you. Great mentors don't just happen upon you; it's a two-way street.
Until $1m ARR, going alone feels like the fastest route. Time and again, founders discover a universal truth: the right advice, at the right time, changes absolutely everything.
More than support; it's having the right support. You wouldn't seek sex therapy from a nun.
No one owes you anything. No matter where you are in your journey, do more, reach wider, climb higher, start to formalize your network with people who have a vested interest in your success. Every founder wishes they had been more proactive sooner.
Some things are binary: There are millions of ways StartUps succeed, but a handful of ways they almost always fail, having people in your circle a few steps ahead, who can guide, advise, and sometimes even course-correct for you, is invaluable. Not every hill needs to be your battleground.
At some point you have to pay. Equity isn't just a token; it's a statement of trust and partnership. Advisors that give upfront value and don't see reciprocity will just disappear.... (The 2.5x rule - With advisors and mentors, I think after 2 1/2 times they "help" … you need to "pay" or they go away)
Go out there. get in front of senior or talented people - on LinkedIn, at events, wherever. People who align with what you are building, that genuinely might give a shit about you, your journey, your mission, your values, your anything and then - put in the work to earn the right to call them your mentor, your advisor, part of your tribe.
I hear the "too busy building" excuse a lot when it comes to networking or hunting down the right people. It's an "and" not an "or" - this is part of your job.
-- James
Myths & False Signals
Avoid these common traps that hide real signal.
- •Activity equals progress — outcomes matter.
- •Opinions equal evidence — test with users.
- •More features fix adoption — value clarity does.
- •Big markets guarantee growth — only if reachable now.
Frequently Asked Questions
People Also Ask
Key Terms
Advisor
A trusted guide who helps a founder navigate strategy, capital, or scale without daily execution.
Board Member
A governance seat influencing strategic direction and protecting investor interests.
Was this helpful? Share this with a founder.
Related Frameworks
Continue Your Founder Journey
Explore all the resources available to help you build and scale your startup