I think that is how Hootsuite got started. Started within an marketing company and it grew a life of its own.

I've been pretty lucky to have great mentors on my start up journey. The best way to find great mentors is to make a short list of your ideal mentors and contact them. Let them know you are looking for a mentor and want to build a long term relationship. If they agree to meet you and there is chemistry, you should be well on your way to a long and sustainable relationship. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your mentors are giving up valuable time. If you go in to your mentor sessions with a know it all attitude and don't listen to their coaching, i'm afraid you won't have a sustainable relationship. Don't forget you are there to learn from them, and in the ideal situation, they will learn from you.

I think you have to follow your gut here. If its telling you that this investor is going to be a more of a headache and will take up most of your time then don't take the investment. You want to make sure you are focused on building a great company. I would also have a conversation about how the investor feels about you approaching their competitors as potential customers. Get it all out on the table before signing the dotted line.

Picatic has a cool program called Fairpay. Fairpay allows you to pay what you think their service is worth. Picatic was recently named as one of the top 10 companies disrupting events! Give Jay and the team a visit at www.picatic.com They are also a Canadian company based out of Vancouver!