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Mentors needed to help small companies achieve growth
There are business incubators all over UK where there are young businesses which would benefit from your experience and knowledge being added to the full time commitment and enthusiasm of the entrepreneur. And there are few things more satisfying than being part of the growth of a new young company which is benefiting from the input of your expertise and experience.
Mentors and the contribution they make come in all shapes and sizes - very often it is just common sense and an experienced business background which is of help to a first time entrepreneur; in other cases the entrepreneur most appreciates help in an area which is different from his own skills - often it is the addition of marketing and finance skills which it is needed. For more established businesses, and particularly those which are on their way to become substantial companies, the need may be for more specialized mentoring , such as building a brand overseas, or financing a major expansion programme, or developing a technical relationship with a university or research institute.
As in many things in life, getting the human relations right on both sides is the first essential requirement. It takes two to tango, and there must be a growing bond of trust and respect between entrepreneur and mentor if the relationship is to achieve its full potential . Before starting a relationship, the entrepreneur will probably want to meet and explore the relationship with more than one possible mentor, in order to ensure that both sides have confidence that it is going to work.
Most initial mentoring is probably done pro bono by the mentor, other than expenses. But if the relationship develops successfully, then the entrepreneur may want to ensure that he retains the mentor’s skills and experience, and the relationship may become that of a paid consultant or, in appropriate cases, a non executive director.
Most mentoring , other than very specialized mentoring , is done locally, as it may be impractical to keep closely in touch with a small company if it is more than say 50 miles away from your home. But there are more than 250 business incubators in UK, and there is likely to be at least one within easy distance of you.
We have a close relationship with UK Business Incubators (‘UKBI’) which is the national trade association, and can put you in touch with an incubator in your locality to see if they can make use of your expertise and experience.
If you would like to follow this up or learn more , contact graham@retirementreinvented.com .
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