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Andrew Mitson
Social Entrepreneur | Forbes 30u30 | Writer & Advisor
Professional Background
Andrew Mitson is an inspiring entrepreneur who embarked on his professional journey at a young age, showcasing exceptional determination and a vision for innovation. After making the bold decision to drop out of school at just 16, Andrew dived headfirst into the world of business by founding his first company, a testament to his risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit.
Over the years, Andrew has co-founded a variety of startups that emphasize his ability to adapt and thrive in diverse sectors. His journey through the startup ecosystem has provided him with invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing innovative ventures today. Andrew's experience as a Business Coach, Speaker, and Startup Advisor underlines his commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated not only to his projects but also to mentoring and guiding others.
In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Andrew has been involved in a number of influential organizations. He was a Founding Member at ReHumanity, contributing to initiatives focused on enhancing human-centered approaches in technology. His role as Co-Founder at Afinity involved leveraging technology to improve business connections and interactions. Furthermore, his tenure as Co-Founder and Chief Learning Executive at Up Learn highlights his dedication to transforming education through innovative learning methods in an evolving digital landscape. Andrew's insights, honed during his previous roles, have made him a sought-after advisor, leading him to influence organizations like Kickstart Global and Young Enterprise UK.
Education and Achievements
Andrew’s educational background is as impressive as his professional accomplishments. He studied Economics at one of the world’s top universities, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His time at LSE not only provided him with a solid academic foundation but also facilitated numerous networking opportunities that would later benefit his entrepreneurial journey.
Moreover, Andrew has had a diverse and fulfilling academic experience. He also attended Sutton Grammar School where he laid the groundwork for his successful educational and professional journey. His studies have equipped him with a deep understanding of economic principles, which he has applied throughout his career.
Notable Skills and Interests
Andrew is not just a businessman; he is a well-rounded individual with a plethora of interests and skills that enrich his life and career. His fluency in Spanish and ability to deliver a TEDx talk in French reflect his commitment to continuous learning and cross-cultural communication. While he humorously admits to speaking "really terrible" Mandarin, Andrew’s enthusiasm for languages demonstrates his love for communicating and connecting with people across the globe.
An avid sports enthusiast, Andrew enjoys basketball and boxing, along with a passion for acroyoga, which speaks to his adventurous spirit and desire for personal growth. His diverse interests have shaped his worldview and provided him with unique experiences, including the memorable occasion of cooking dinner for UK politician Boris Johnson.
Current Endeavors
Currently, Andrew is channeling his energy into writing his first book, titled "Why Are You Working So Much? The Insanity of Modern Life and How to Escape." This project underscores his fascination with the evolving nature of work, mental well-being, and the importance of balancing ambition with personal fulfillment. The insights found in his book aim to challenge modern notions of productivity and encourage readers to pursue healthier lifestyles.
In addition to his writing, Andrew is actively engaged in various projects that focus on mental health, the future of work, and computational neuroscience. He is passionate about addressing critical issues within these domains, striving to create impactful solutions that can transform individuals' and organizations' approaches to work and well-being. Andrew's work demonstrates his dedication to exploring the intersections of technology, psychology, and education while seeking to foster a more sustainable approach to professional life.
Through his prolific career, Andrew Mitson continues to inspire those around him with his entrepreneurial spirit, innovative thinking, and commitment to making a positive impact on the world. As he ventures into new territory with his writing and projects, there is no doubt that he will continue to contribute meaningfully to conversations around modern life, work, and well-being.
Highlights
PLEASE. DO NOT mon£ti$e your passion…
There’s a big leap between liking yoga and running a yoga studio.
A gaping chasm between snorting curry powder and opening a restaurant.
And at least a few lightyears to go from “I like drawing” to “I’m a graphic designer!”
It is a tempting idea to get paid for what you love, but that is rarely what actually happens.
You don’t get paid for crow pose; you get paid for advertising yoga classes, organising logistics, and filling classes.
You don’t make money licking poppadoms; you make it managing your staff, controlling your supply chain, and building a brand.
And you don’t cash in doodling hentai, you get paid for drawing very specific infographics and arguing with clients who never quite seem to appreciate your creative flair.
Obviously, many people DO build successful businesses/careers doing things they love…
But many others find themselves falling out of love with their passion, as they find the things they love toxically entangled with things they hate - admin, “selling”, limited budgets, irritating clients, financial anxiety, etc.
Be careful.
“Following your passion” has been romanticised as a panacea to the “boring” 9-5, but it can be just as “boring” in many ways, and often a lot more stressful!
If you’re after a creative/passionate life, consider partnering with someone more technical/commercial/operational to deal with the stuff you’ll hate.
Or keep your finances and your passions separate. “Don't mix business with pleasure” as the old saying goes.
Agree/disagree? How do you balance your passions vs your work?
#freelancecareer #passiontoprofit #lifeadvice
Founder Fallacy #1
"But what about the LOBSTERS!?”
The “Solve-All” Fallacy is the errant belief that you can solve all problems for everyone (when you’re just starting out!)
It tempts ambitious founders away from building a product that does one thing well for one specific audience…
…into a jungle of impossible hypotheticals and disorientation:
“What about Android users? Nokia devices? People without phones? People without hands?”
“What about middle-aged women? Elderly ethnic minorities? Infants with colour blindness?”
“What about the LOBSTERS!?”
Years ago, I ran a luxury health concierge - everyday personal training, private chef, physio, blood tests, etc.
All for £3000 a month :)
“No one will ever pay that, you bloody lunatic” - I was told by gym owners and PTs.
But when I turned up at KX gym in Chelsea - frequented by Kate Middleton and Prince Wills - I got a very different response:
“How’s it so CHEAP!? The trainers here charge £155/hour!”
You DO NOT need to appease everyone.
There’ll always be someone who hates your product, hates your guts, or just doesn’t get it.
Stand your ground:
“That’s not our target market, that’s not our price point, we DO NOT sell to lobsters.”
Don’t get distracted. You’re not here to solve everyone’s problems. It doesn’t matter if your price point alienates Sri Lankan farmers, or if Gen Z don’t like big words…as long as you’re serving your niche, you’re just fine.
And as long as you’re staying true to yourself, everyone else can go f*ck themselves :)
#startuplessons #entrepreneurmindset #startupfounders
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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