TFI Mentor Consultation Request

Please select the mentor you wish to meet with*

Full Name*

First NameLast Name

E-mail used to purchase TFI membership*

Phone Number*

About You & Your Business

Company name*

Website

Product description*

How many years have you worked in the fashion industry?*

Scheduling Details

Choose your desired appointment time. (Please note that if you use LESS time than allotted, your time will be rounded up to either 30 minutes or 60 minutes accordingly.)*

30 minutes60 minutes

How would you like to have this virtual appointment?*

ZoomGoogle Meet

Choose a minimum of 2 days of the week when you will be available over the next 3 weeks:*

Choose a minimum of 3 times of the day when you will be available over the next 3 weeks. All times shown are in the EASTERN time zone (Toronto time):*

What key questions would you like to ask the mentor? The more details you can provide, the easier it is for your mentor to prepare for your consultation.*

Please upload any files you would like the mentor to see prior to the consultation.

Lookbook, line sheets, presentation letters, etc.

Please verify that you are human*

Any additional messages or special instructions?

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Mentor Consultations Guidelines for TFI Members

General rules

As a TFI Member, you are entitled to 120 minutes of free consultation time with our volunteer industry mentors to use during your membership year.
Unused mentoring time expires on the date your TFI membership expires and does not roll over to the next membership year.
Mentor appointments are by application only, exclusive to current TFI members and are dependent on the mentor's availability.
If you wish to bring a friend into the meeting, there is a mandatory $10 per person guest fee. Click HERE to remit your guest fee(s) prior to the meeting. Failure to do so may result in canceling the meeting and/or losing 30 minutes of your mentor time allotment.
You can use your time in 30 or 60 minute increments, depending on your schedule and the mentor’s availability.
Consultations take place virtually. The mentor will send you a meeting link prior to your appointment.
If a mentor misses the appointment, please contact TFI asap.
All of TFI's mentors are volunteers with full-time obligations. Please respect their time.
NOTE: Mentors cannot do any work for you. They are here to provide free advice and direction. They are not obliged to do any research for you, share their contacts or make introductions for you. Some mentors offer private consultations for a fee but not all mentors offer this service. TFI does not take any commission from paid consultation fees.

Confirming a consultation

TFI staff will contact you as soon as they can after they receive your request. Please do not email or call TFI to say you have placed a request; wait for us to contact you. It might take a few days to hear back from us, but do not worry. TFI staff might be waiting to hear from your mentor before contacting you.
Members can submit one request at a time. Once your request has been scheduled, you can submit another one.
TFI reserves the right to disregard requests that do not follow procedures or are considered offensive.

Cancellations, late arrivals, and unused consultation time

To cancel a consultation, please email tfi@fashionincubator.com with a minimum of 2 business days' notice.
If you cancel your mentor consultation appointment without providing at least two business days' notice, you will lose that amount of time from your allocation.
If you arrive late for your mentor appointment, your session will conclude at the regularly scheduled time.
No-shows will count as used time and you will lose that amount of time from your allocation.
We strongly advise members to submit this Mentor Consultation Request Form EARLY and to allow up to 6 months for an appointment in order to not be disappointed. Please refer to your TFI membership expiry date in your TFI “welcome" e-mail message which you received when joining or renewing. You can also contact TFI and we can let you know when you expire.
All of TFI's mentors are busy professionals who volunteer their time. Please be respectful and grateful by being on time and being prepared for your session.

Additional info and preparing for your consultation

It is important to establish clear objectives for your meeting and to have as much background info as possible in advance. Don’t go to meetings with broad questions such as “I want to grow my business”. Do your research. Mentors are here to help you with specific answers that you can’t easily find.
Prepare at least 2 to 3 questions as these will help you get the most out of your meeting.
Mentors might ask about your background and education. Make sure you have information about your company at hand.
If you've scheduled a Zoom meeting, have your laptop or tablet with you if you want to screen share and show your website, images from your line or important references.
If your meeting is about reviewing your designs, portfolio, financials or business planning, include a link in the "questions" section where the mentor can download the content. This must be done in advance of your meeting.
If your meeting is about design or production, make sure you have samples of your product(s), sketches, fabric swatches, magazine tear-outs; anything visual that can aid in explaining what you are asking. Please upload the documents to this form and we will forward it to the mentor.
If your meeting is about branding, PR or communications, make sure you have marketing materials such as press kit, look book or buyers kit. If you don’t have these materials, look for references. Please upload the documents to this form and we will forward it to the mentor.
If your meeting is about sales and meeting with retailers, you can share your samples, price list and buyers kit. Please upload the documents to this form and we will forward it to the mentor.

QUESTIONS? We’re happy to help. Send us an e-mail: tfi@fashionincubator.com.

NOTE: All TFI mentors sign a TFI Code of Conduct that binds them to policies such as non-disclosure, non-compete and non-discrimination. If you believe a policy has been breached, please advise us as soon as possible.

Thank you for submitting your mentor consultation request. Someone from our team will follow up with you shortly to confirm your appointment or to gather more information.

TFI Mentor Consultation Request Form