Introduction to Enterprise Mentoring: FInally

…and finally

Reviewing and evaluating learning Useful websites References

GET MENTORING PARTNER QUOTES “Small business owners value talking to other entrepreneurs and we at ACBBA know from experience there is a lot of informal mentoring going on; we are happy to partner in a project that aims to enhance this form of support and mobilises and builds on the resources already present in the business community.”

Armando Pardo Association of Community Based Business Advisers (ACBBA) “Shell LiveWIRE supports 1000s of young entrepreneurs each year. Our feedback shows that mentors are a key part of what many of them see as vital to support and growth of their business.

Making access to mentors easy will enhance the prospects of many young people starting their journey as entrepreneurs and be a key factor for their success.”

Stuart Anderson Shell LiveWIRE “All our research at the IOEE shows that informal mentoring is tremendously important and goes on day to day, helping business owners solve problems and seize opportunities as they arise. Having a mentor, or mentors, within your enterprise support network has proven invaluable to pre-start, start-ups and existing small business owners. Mentoring reduces the mortality rate and increases the growth rate. At the IOEE we’re very excited about this initiative to provide free training to small business owners that are willing to mentor others. It is an exact fit with how the Institute knows personal and business development takes place in enterprise and entrepreneurship. This will make thousands of our members into better mentors who will be able to help each other to survive and thrive.”

Tony Robinson IOEE “LANTRA, the Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land based Businesses welcome the opportunity to be involved in this exciting initiative. Representing more than 260,000 businesses, the majority employing less than five people, LANTRA recognise the need to encourage the development of services that support small businesses and business start-ups such as this UK mentoring project. Mentoring, whilst appreciated by many businesses outside of the Land based sector, does not readily feature as a business support tool in the minds of many of our businesses. When businesses do consider using a mentor they often don’t know where to go to find one. Having a network of mentors that can be easily accessed and who know the issues facing small businesses will be a welcome part of the holistic business support service LANTRA is hoping to develop for the sector.”

Madge Moore LANTRA

“The National Enterprise Network are delighted to be involved in this UK wide mentoring project, our members have always appreciated the great benefit that mentoring brings, as a valuable element of a holistic business support service.

Many people want to be a mentor to others starting up or running their own business, but often don’t appreciate exactly what is expected of them and what the boundaries are – this project is a great way for us to work with mentors to ensure that together we are providing a great opportunity to add value to the businesses we are supporting and in turn make their contribution to the much needed growth in the economy.”

Dawn Whiteley National Enterprise Network (NEN) “The International Association of Book-keepers (IAB) applauds this initiative and has itself long campaigned for government funding to be provided to enable this type of vital support service by businesses for other businesses. IAB members have always appreciated the great benefit that mentoring brings, as many are themselves business owners and at initial start up and in the early stages of growth have benefited from the support of more experienced IAB members and other entrepreneurs.

This project will ensure that many more mentors are better prepared for their roles and therefore will improve and extend the mentoring available to new businesses. This will undoubtedly have a much needed, positive impact on UK business start-up success rates – benefiting not just the business owners, but the wider economy and employment.”

Malcolm Trotter International Association of Book-keepers (IAB) “PRIME is committed to supporting older people into enterprise and we are therefore delighted to be involved in this national mentoring initiative.

PRIME is the only national UK charity which helps the over 50s get back into work through selfemployment. Mentoring is a key aspect of our work.

Through this partnership we are able to extend our influence and provide greater support to those starting, developing and growing their business.”

Nick Bunting PRIME “We welcome involvement in this project.

Mentoring is an extremely useful tool for all firms, and we know that start-ups that receive mentoring support are more likely to survive. It is important that mentors come from all walks of life, including those that have run successful small businesses, so that they can offer a wide range of experience from different sectors for businesses to get the best out of their knowledge.”

John Walker Federation of Small Businesses

…AND FINALLY

Reviewing and evaluating learning As we have mentioned in this workbook, a key part of being a mentor is the use of reflective practice. We have created a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Plan for you to use to plan your development and record all CPD activity you undertake. This can be downloaded at http://mentor.ioee.co.uk/resources.

Should you wish to become an accredited mentor and qualify for MentorPlus status in the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE), please visit www.sfediawards.com to find out more about the Award in Enterprise Mentoring available through your local Approved SFEDI Awards Centre. Details of all the centres can be found at www.sfediawards.com.

Useful websites Business Link www.businesslink.gov.uk

Business Link is government’s online resource for businesses, offering information, support and services for you and your business whether you work for a large organisation or are in the process of starting up a business of your own. Here you can find guidance on regulations, accessing government services and accessing funding options, as well as useful online tools, calculators and best practice case studies.

MentorsMe www.mentorsme.co.uk

mentorsme.co.uk is operated by the Business Finance Taskforce, which has been set up by the British Bankers’ Association. It is an online gateway for small and medium-sized enterprises looking for mentoring services, and connects companies with mentoring organisations that can support and guide their growth. The site also allows business professionals to offer their services as a business mentor via mentoring organisations. Its library of online resources includes articles about mentoring and case studies of successful business mentoring relationships.

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…AND FINALLY

References Our thanks to the following people and organisations who have kindly agreed to their material being reproduced in this workbook: • Arrington M (2004) Understanding the entrepreneur. BizLife Magazine, April.

• Clutterbuck D The Toxic Mentor, The Toxic Mentee. Clutterbuck Associates.

• Essential Business (2011) The Essential Business Guide (4th edition). Hove: Essential Business.

• Essential Business & SFEDI Group (2011) Start your Business Step by Step (2nd edition).

Hove: Essential Business and SFEDI Group.

• Hill P (2004) Concepts of Coaching: A guide for managers. London: Institute of Leadership and Management.

• NWDA Solutions for Business provider manual.

Other references included in these pages: • Bachirova T (2007) Role of coaching psychology in defining boundaries between counselling and coaching. In: S Palmer and A Whybrow (Eds) Handbook of Coaching Psychology: A guide for practitioners. Hove: Routledge.

• Chandler DE and Kram KE (2005) Applying an adult development perspective to developmental networks. Career Development International (special edition on mentoring) 10 (6–7) 548–566.

• Covey S (2004) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. London: Simon & Schuster Ltd. • European Mentoring and Coaching Council Code of Ethics.

• Haji-Ioannou S (2000) Sunday Times, 29 October.

• Lewes J (2000) Mentoring and Coaching at Work, A Practical Toolkit. Kent: Agora Consultancy.

• Whitmore J (2009) Coaching for Performance (4th edition). London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

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An Introduction to Enterprise Mentoring