Start with experience, not a new title
You might not have held a board seat, but you may have built a team, raised capital, opened a market or helped a business through an uncomfortable transition. Start there.
Write down three situations in which your judgement made a difference. For each one, describe the challenge, the decision you helped make and what happened next. Be precise about your own contribution.
Choose the contribution you want to make
A first board role is not the only route to helping a founder. You may be suited to a non-executive role, a focused advisory relationship or a hands-on fractional position.
Consider how you want to spend your time. Do you want to challenge and support decisions? Offer expertise on a defined problem? Or lead the work inside the company? Our guide to Chair, NED, Board Advisor and Fractional Leader roles explains the distinctions.
If you work as a fractional leader now, our guide to moving from fractional work to a board seat covers what changes.
Build a focused Board CV
Your Board CV should make your relevance easy to see. It does not need to repeat every responsibility from every job.
- Lead with the kind of experience you bring.
- Show the company stages and situations you know.
- Use specific examples of judgement, contribution and outcomes.
- Be clear about the roles you are interested in.
Keep confidential information out. Use only figures and examples you are entitled to share. See the Board CV guide for a practical structure.
Treat the founder conversation as mutual discovery
A relevant introduction is the beginning of a conversation, not a commitment. Find out why the company wants someone now, what the founder expects and where your experience would be useful.
- What is the next difficult decision the company faces?
- Why is this role needed, and what is its actual remit?
- What involvement is expected between meetings?
- How does the founder respond to constructive disagreement?
Discuss time, compensation, conflicts and responsibilities directly. Before accepting a formal director appointment, understand the obligations and seek professional advice where appropriate.
How Boardly fits into the search
You can join Boardly without a previous board appointment. You can upload your CV or speak to Veronica to build your Boardly Profile. Boardly reviews applications before candidates appear on a shortlist.
When a founder’s brief matches your experience, Boardly introduces you directly by email, with Boardly copied in. Your profile is not public, and you choose whether to pursue the introduction.
It is free for candidates. Relevance determines introductions; joining is not a promise of a role or a particular number of opportunities.