Work Privately 1:1 with John Teel to Avoid Costly Mistakes

Private mentoring with John Teel to guide your decisions on prototyping, electronics, certification, manufacturing, and launching your product.

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John Teel

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve built an early prototype, but have no idea how to move forward.

Or you’re still at the idea stage, trying to figure out where to even begin.

Maybe you’re navigating development just fine, but need help with marketing, certifications, or manufacturing.

Wherever you are in the journey, one thing’s clear: this process is complex, and the wrong move can cost you time, money, or your entire product.

That’s where private mentoring with me comes in.

Not only have I been through this all myself with my own product, more importantly I've helped lots of other entrepreneurs do it too.

You’ll get direct, 1:1 support across every stage - development, certifications, manufacturing, funding, marketing, and beyond.

I’m here to be your strategic partner, to help you make smarter decisions, avoid common traps, and move forward faster.

How Mentoring Is Different From the Hardware Academy

The Hardware Academy provides structured training, community support, and expert guidance for founders who want to move faster and avoid costly mistakes.

On the Premium plan, members also get private access to me and my engineering team inside a dedicated area of the community.

Private mentoring with me is completely different.

Mentoring is application-only and intentionally limited to a small number of founders.

With mentoring, I work with you privately and stay closely involved in your product. My role becomes less like a forum advisor and more like a member of your team.

Most communication happens through a private mentoring thread using video, audio, and text.

This allows us to go deeper into your specific situation, move faster, and keep all context in one place without relying on scheduled meetings.

Your mentoring thread is hosted on a dedicated platform that you retain lifetime access to.

Private mentoring includes full access to the Premium plan of the Hardware Academy, but adds private, ongoing communication with me and a much higher level of involvement in your product.

Here's everything you get:

Most of our work together happens through private video, audio, and text messages, so you get help right when you need it. If something calls for a live conversation, we can schedule a call.

Why This Communication Style Works Better for Hardware Founders

Most founders assume mentoring means lots of scheduled calls.

But calls slow things down. You end up waiting days to ask a simple question or get design feedback.

On the other hand, with private video, audio, and text messages:

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What can private mentoring do for you?

When Nick Sjolinder joined my mentoring program, all he had was a promising idea.

Just six months later, he had a beautiful prototype, a growing email list, and $373,571 raised from 2,377 backers on Kickstarter.

Nick moved fast, executed nearly everything I recommended, and made incredible progress in record time.

That combination of his action with my guidance helped him reach a level of success most product creators never achieve.

I’m proud to be one of Nick’s advisors, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

His product is called BYOK: The Ultimate Distraction-Free Writing Tool. You can check out his campaign here.

“There’s zero chance I would have had the confidence or knowledge to take on a project like this without the foundation I got from mentoring with John Teel.” - Jason B.
John Teel

See John's Linkedin profile

John Teel is a product design engineer, serial entrepreneur, and the founder of Predictable Designs and the Hardware Academy.

Over the past decade, he’s helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and startups navigate the complex journey from idea to market.

Before launching Predictable Designs, John spent over 10 years at Texas Instruments designing microchips used in popular devices from companies like Apple and Intel.

If you own a smartphone or a laptop, there’s a good chance you’ve used something with his work inside.

He later founded a successful hardware startup, MicroLite Tech, that sold consumer lighting products in hundreds of retail locations across multiple countries.

John managed every aspect of the business himself: development, manufacturing in China, marketing, financing, sales, and logistics. At its peak, his sales team included over 20 representatives across the U.S.

John has been where you are. He’s turned an idea into a prototype, and a prototype into a product that sells.

For the past decade, he’s made it his full-time mission to help others do the same, offering the kind of guidance he wishes he had when he started out.

He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from the University of Texas, with a focus in microelectronics.

"John's private mentoring program is clearly the best money I have ever invested!" - Wayne Dean
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Will my project be kept confidential and do I keep all intellectual property rights?

Yes, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) protecting anything proprietary you share with me is part of the signup process. You will retain 100% ownership of all your intellectual property, and I will keep all proprietary information you share with me completely confidential.

I have a cofounder or business partner, can we both get mentoring together?

Yes, in most cases, as long as most communication is with both of you together, and it is focused on the same project or startup.

What is your refund policy?

No refunds will be given for private mentoring.

How does mentoring work, do we talk live?

Most of your mentoring happens through private video, audio, and text messages. This lets you ask questions the moment you have them and get detailed feedback without waiting for a scheduled call.

We start with a live 1:1 kickoff call, and if you ever run into something that truly requires a live conversation, we can book an additional call. But most founders find the message-based format gives them faster, more flexible support.