Meet Andrea Verplaetse, the founder of Your Career Mentor by Andrea, a business dedicated to empowering entry-level and mid-career professionals with the strategy and confidence to thrive.

Andrea’s work is all about helping professionals find clarity, build confidence, and take meaningful steps forward in their careers. Whether it’s through resume and cover letter reviews, LinkedIn 101, networking tips, personal brand development, or ongoing mentorship, Andrea provides personalized guidance designed to help her clients define their path and take action.

“My goal is to offer practical, values-aligned support that helps professionals move forward with purpose and direction,” Andrea says.

We love sharing the stories about how our mastermind members’ turned their businesses into thriving stories, so you may be asking, “What’s a Mastermind?”.

What is a women’s business mastermind?

The Founding Females® Women’s Business Mastermind is an off-social platform designed specifically for women entrepreneurs who are seeking authentic connection, needle-moving conversations, and aligned growth.

This private community thrives on daily exchanges of insights, wins, and support among women who show up intentionally building businesses that reflect their values. Whether you’re refining your services, scaling strategically, or working through mindset blocks around money and pricing, this is the space where you’ll find guidance and encouragement, not just surface-level advice.

Inside, we focus on the strategies that create real momentum, including:

Marketing strategies to attract and keep ideal clients
Creating collaborations that translate into genuine referrals
Shifting your relationship with money to make wiser financial decisions
Structuring your scalable business around your life and priorities
Pricing your offers in a way that honors your expertise and drives growth

Members come together each month for a dynamic, focused mastermind call where ideas are workshopped, wisdom is shared, and solutions are co-created. Our women’s mastermind calls go deep and leave you feeling inspired. In between sessions, the conversation continues through thoughtful posts, meaningful feedback, and honest check-ins.

If you’ve ever wished for a supportive circle of entrepreneurial women who understand the highs and lows of growing a business, the Founding Females® Mastermind is that place. The breakthroughs that happen here are anything but ordinary.

Friends, meet Andrea Vertplaetse, Your Career Mentor

At Founding Females®, we love shining a spotlight on the incredible women inside our Mastermind community and today we’re thrilled to introduce you to Andrea Verplaetse, founder of Your Career Mentor by Andrea.

Andrea helps entry-level and mid-career professionals find clarity, build confidence, and take intentional steps toward the careers they’ve been dreaming about. Her story is one of passion, purpose, and the courage to build something that matters, all while working full-time in corporate.

How Your Career Mentor Came to Be

Andrea’s business began with a dream…literally.

“I dreamt I was pitching a career coaching business idea to my husband. When I woke up, it clicked,” Andrea shares. “Mentoring and empowering others isn’t just something I enjoy, it’s what truly lights me up.”

With her top CliftonStrengths theme of Input, Andrea thrives on gathering insights and sharing them in meaningful ways. She noticed that many leaders are so consumed by daily demands that mentorship often gets lost in the shuffle.

That realization sparked her deeper purpose: to create a space where professionals could find the guidance, clarity, and confidence they need to navigate their careers with intention.

And so, Your Career Mentor by Andrea was born. It’s a supportive space where professionals can get the encouragement, strategy, and tools they need to move forward with purpose.

Founding Females® Women’s Business Mastermind

We’re in open enrollment! Be part of something special by joining Andrea and the strong female founder community inside the Founding Females® Mastermind.

Who Andrea Works With

Andrea loves working with entry-level and mid-career professionals who are feeling stuck, craving clarity, or ready for a career shift that aligns with their values.

Her clients include:

New graduates figuring out their first steps
Former educators pivoting into the corporate world
Mid-level professionals searching for more meaningful roles

“What they all have in common is a desire to move forward with intention,” Andrea says. “I’m here to support that journey with strategy, encouragement, and personalized guidance that meets them where they are.”

Andrea’s Proud Moments

One of Andrea’s proudest accomplishments has been building her coaching business while working full-time in marketing at a Fortune 50 company.

“It’s taken intention, resilience, and a deep belief in the work I’m doing,” Andrea shares. “I’ve walked the same path many of my clients are on, having navigated my own career transition from the nonprofit world into corporate and learning how to reinvent myself along the way. At the heart of it all, I’m driven by a simple goal: to be the mentor I needed over the last ten years.”

Client Transformation Highlight

Andrea recalls supporting a dear friend through a major transition: leaving the classroom and stepping into a corporate role. Years later, that same friend came back to Andrea for help crafting a proposal to ask for a raise and title change.

“Watching her grow in confidence, advocate for herself, and step into a role that felt more aligned with her values was incredibly powerful,” Andrea says. “That transformation reminded me that this work matters and that I could help others do the same.”

Growth Through Entrepreneurship

Andrea describes her entrepreneurial journey as deeply personal and grounding.

“Building Your Career Mentor while working full time has stretched me in ways I didn’t expect,” she reflects. “It’s required clarity, courage, and a whole lot of self-compassion. I often say, ‘I’m the coach that needs a coach,’ because I’m growing right alongside my clients.”

Andrea has learned to navigate imposter syndrome, redefine success, and build something that reflects both her strengths and her values.

“Entrepreneurship has shown me that real impact is rooted not in perfection, but in presence, purpose, and the courage to keep evolving,” she says.

Favorite Topics

Andrea loves discussing:

Networking strategies and how to build authentic relationships
Values-driven leadership and showing up fully at work
Resources like the You Belong in the C-Suite podcast by The Catch Group
Books like $100M Leads by Alex Hormozi, which is next on her reading list

Why She Joined Founding Females®

Andrea was drawn to the Founding Females® Mastermind because of the supportive, values-driven community.

“I knew I wanted to be in a space where I could learn, share honestly, and grow alongside other women building meaningful businesses,” Andrea says.

Andrea’s Vision

Andrea’s vision for Your Career Mentor includes growing into small group coaching, creating mentor/mentee-focused sessions for alumni, and offering workshops that allow professionals to reflect, build confidence, and take aligned action in community with others.

Connect with Andrea

Website: careerbyandrea.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amverplaetse

Instagram: @careerbyandrea

Conclusion

Andrea is a powerful example of what it looks like to live out your values, invest in your growth, and create something that makes a real difference. Whether she’s coaching a new grad on their first big career move or helping a mid-level professional advocate for themselves, Andrea’s mission is clear: to be the mentor she once needed.

Join the Women’s Business Mastermind

Join Andrea, Mandy-Marie Eldredge, Kelley Gibson, Traci Kingdon, Paola LaManna, Krystal Stegmaier, Taylor Leontios Bre Henderson, Katrina Howard, Kayla Miller, Janelle Reeb, Lindsey the Ladysmith, Heidi the Joyologist, Lindsay Wineinger, and the rest of the Founding Females® family inside the Founding Females® women business mastermind.

We’re currently offering a free trial, so peek inside and see what it’s like!

HECK YES, LET'S GO!

P.S. Here are some of my top favorite female small business resources:

Dream, Build, Grow Free Resource Suite - free business templates for your business plan, marketing plan, ideal client persona, financial statements, and more!
Founding Females® Community - an online female mastermind space for entrepreneurs to connect, support, and get inspired
Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business - a guided how-to handbook including everything you need to know from business idea to launch to profiting and scaling your business.

Free Downloads for Female Entrepreneurs

Free PDF Download: 25 Ways to Market Your Business (Aside from Social Media)
Free PDF Download: 33 keys to Business Success
Free PDF Download: SEO Tips for Entrepreneurs

About Founding Females®

The mission of Founding Females® is to help women build thriving businesses. We create safe spaces for women to share business challenges and receive peer support.

In addition, Founding Females® offers an online female business mastermind, a how-to guidebook for female entrepreneurs called Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, and in-person events, like an annual women’s business conference and local Founding Females® Meet Ups.

Founding Females® was founded by small business educator, Francie Hinrichsen. She believes anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Click to learn more about working with Francie.

Founder Feature: Andrea Verplaetse, Your Career Mentor by Andrea

What is a women’s business mastermind?