Access to Experts Guide: How to frame your questions for an inquiry? 

Need help with structuring your questions when connecting with experts on the Access to Experts platform?

Consider the guidelines below when restructuring your current question.

A good starting point is to consider the 5 Ws and 1 H: who, what, why, when, where, and how?

Make sure you thoroughly think about and cover these 6 points as you prepare your query and send it to the expert of your choice.

WHO are you? Introduce yourself and your company, and provide context to the expert.

For our experts to be able to support you, they need to understand what type of company you are working on, what industry you are evolving in and the exact challenge you are facing as an entrepreneur.

Context will help experts prepare answers that are tailored to you and your business, putting them in the best position to tackle your challenge. 

Some details to share for context can also include the project or company stage, team details, and a link with a downloadable business plan or pitch deck with some financials and financial projections.

Check out this LEARN resource for more information on how to present your startup idea or business: “Getting Business-Ready – How Can I Present My Startup Idea?” 

WHAT are you asking about and WHY are you asking it?

Identify the specific speciality you are after: Do you need help with Financing & Fundraising? Are you working on Business Transformation? Or do you need support with Access To Market?

Make sure the expert you choose has the skills, expertise and knowledge in the field you need help with. 

In the image above, you are able to identify the expert’s specialities. As a specialized agritech expert, he can support with Access to Market and on Business Development & Partnerships in the field.

HOW can this expert help you?

Explain the challenge you may be facing and its impact on your business, and therefore, how the expert can provide strategic assistance towards resolving the issue.

WHEN do you need support regarding your request? 

Specify what your timeline is, if need be: Timeliness can be a major factor when it comes to the impact of the expert’s support. Make sure you give the expert enough time to get back to you with the inquiry. 

WHERE are you sending your questions to?

Before sending your question, consider whether Access to Experts is the right place to be directing your inquiry. While we have a diverse directory of experts on hand, some questions may be better answered by a government agency or ecosystem entity directly.

For example, if you have a question about a particular accelerator programme you would like to apply to, we recommend you reach out to this programme directly for a better answer. 

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Here are examples of questions that you can use as a reference to formulate your questions: 

Funding & Investment readiness

EXAMPLE 1

Our company X has been operating in Abu Dhabi for the past year, and we are disrupting the F&B sector by connecting different stakeholders through our technology platform. 

We are a small team of 3 co-founders (CEO, CFO and operations manager) and are currently looking to raise a seed ticket of $150,000 to improve the product within the year.

Who do you recommend we reach out to?

Here is a link to our pitch deck and business plan: https://wetransfer.com/yourlink  

Other more open-ended questions could include:

• At what stage should I look for funding as a proptech? 
• What type of funding is most ideal for my existing business?

Human Resources & Learning Development

EXAMPLE 2

We are a small company operating in X sector. One of my top employees has recently received a job offer from a competitor and asked whether I could match it.

Unfortunately, our company is cash-strapped, so it is difficult for me to compete with their offer - what are some HR management practices to retain your employees that you can recommend? 

Tax & Financial Advisory

EXAMPLE 3

As an entrepreneur setting up a business in the manufacturing sector, what are VAT regulations that should I be aware of? 

Should I register my company for VAT as I incorporate? What is the process to do so?

Access to Abu Dhabi

EXAMPLE 4

As a tech startup based in Dubai, what advice would you give on how best could we leverage opportunities in Abu Dhabi, especially from a company establishment and legal structure point of view?

As a bootstrapped business, our capacity to spend on incorporation in Abu Dhabi is limited at this stage, but are there opportunities we risk missing out on?  

Connect with industry thought leaders via the Access to Experts platform, and let's grow your business together.