Somerset County Council is launching an ambitious business mentoring programme which aims to boost the growth and success of micro, small and medium sized businesses.
Some 20 experienced active and retired business people will be recruited as mentors as part of the Business Mentoring Programme to unlock a wealth of knowledge to support businesses across the county. With time, it is hoped the scheme will evolve to include an ever-growing band of mentors, supporting countless thriving Somerset businesses.
Mentors will be selected from executive and senior management level business leaders, or successful entrepreneurs. They will understand the challenges associated with running and growing a business and the value of impartial advice, offer sector experience or a specialism such as growth strategy, finance, marketing, HR or e-commerce and, above all, be willing to give up their time for free to make a difference.
Successful applicants will be provided with skills development workshops, support from the programme leaders and the opportunity to learn from the experience of fellow mentors through networking. Mentors will work with local businesses, social enterprises and/or charities in Somerset. They will attend a two-day training workshop in preparation of delivering the programme (March 2023) and meet regularly with their mentee. They will spend at least 12 hours with each mentee over a three-month period (starting April 2023).
“Growing businesses need to evolve, change and sometimes renew, often in ways that are outside the experience of the founder. A good mentor has been there already and can strategize, challenge and inspire confidence. An ambitious founder will challenge the mentor. I’ve seen founders grow and business flourish through mentoring,” said Paul Cartwright, Chairman of Dorset Business Mentors.
The application process for mentors is open now and closes at the end of February 2023. Applications for mentees open on April 1, 2023.
The mentor selection process will take place in February and training workshops will follow in March. The aim is for mentors to begin working with their mentees by April 2023.
For further information, please contact Richard Swift at rswift@somerset.gov.uk.
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