Business Mentoring Programme Guidelines and FAQs Overview
The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Business Mentoring Programme matches emerging jewellery and silversmithing businesses to businesspeople or industry experts from a broad range of backgrounds and experience. Many of our mentors are members of the Goldsmiths’ Company, a membership organisation that has contributed to national life for almost 700 years. Our mentors are either highly engaged with or interested in the jewellery industry or work directly in it as practising craftspeople, designers or in support functions across retail, auction houses, the arts, marketing and education.
Our team at the Goldsmiths’ Centre is here to support you in developing your skills and career. We look forward to receiving your application. If you need any additional information or advice prior to submitting your application, please contact our team to discuss how best we can support you.
Call our team at +44(0)20 7566 7650 or email applications@goldsmithscentre.org
Who can apply?
The Business Mentoring Programme is open to individuals who:
have completed a Business Diagnostic and Advice session with the Goldsmiths’ Centre in the past 12 months.
are located and have a trading address in the UK.
are committed to successful business growth and self-development – whether that is seeking an increase in sales, productivity or profitability to improving your business processes.
are willing to receive support and advice from their mentor, but they are not obliged to act on any information, suggestion or guidance given by their mentor as part of the programme.
How do you want to apply?
This section details how to apply and how you will be matched with a mentor.
Step 1: Read these guidelines to ensure that you understand the application process.
Step 2: If you have completed the Business Diagnostic and Advice session in the past 12 months, you can apply for the Business Mentoring Programme either via:
a. our online application form can be accessed via any standard web browser on a computer, tablet, smartphone. The application is estimated to take up to 10 minutes to complete. You can save and return to your application up until the application deadline. To make the process easier, you should have the relevant support documentation ready to upload, as listed in the accompanying guidance.
b. a video captured on your camera phone or computer and submitted via a file hosting service (such as a hidden Vimeo or YouTube link, Google Drive or Dropbox) to applications@goldsmithscentre.org – see our FAQs for a step by step guide on how to best capture your submission.
Step 3: Draft your responses for your online or recorded application in advance. You will need to provide the following information as part of your application:
Your name, business name, email address and mobile phone number.
The date you took part in the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Business Diagnostic and Advice session.
An outline of what advice from the Business Diagnostic and Advice panel that had the most impact on you and your business so far.
How much of the advice have you been able to put into practice? –all, most, some, a little, none.
Have you participated in a mentoring scheme before? – yes, no.
Select the areas that you would like support with from the list below:
o Business planning, management or administration.
o Financial management, raising funds or finance.
o Marketing, branding, PR or digital marketing.
o Developing sales channels, exporting or e-commerce.
o Product design or development.
o Manufacturing, supply chain development or sourcing.
o Range planning.
o Costing and pricing.
o Other (please specify).
Summarise what specifically you would like help with within these areas.
Describe the biggest challenge or barrier that your business or your practice currently faces.
Outline what is the most important outcome you are looking for from your mentoring experience.
Step 4: You will receive a confirmation link from applications@goldsmithscentre.org to say that your application form has been received. Please note incomplete applications will not be passed onto our mentors.
What happens next after applying?
Step 5: Our Goldsmiths’ Centre team will review your mentoring needs and match you to an individual within our pool of mentors who best fits your requirements. We will email you and your mentor separately to inform you of the potential match and once agreed, we will share your contact details with your mentor.
We can’t promise to match every applicant with a mentor but will do our best to do so in this round of the programme or if necessary a later round.
We will inform you who your mentor is. However, mentors will contact you directly via email to set up your first session. Please regularly check your inbox and junk mail for correspondence from your potential mentor.
Step 6: We expect that the mentoring programme will consist of meetings and/or phone calls and/or email or other communications between you and your mentor from time to time. You will agree the content, frequency and duration of the mentoring partnership with your mentor. It is your responsibility to manage the relationship with your mentor as you consider appropriate.
Step 7: After 6 and 12 months, we will get in touch with you to receive feedback on your mentoring experience and to check whether both parties want to continue with the mentorship. We may also ask if you are happy to share your story with others, either anonymously or mentioning your name, and in that case, we will interview you and share your experience with other emerging businesses in the industry and potential mentors.
What are our terms and conditions of the Business Mentoring Programme?
The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Business Mentoring Programme supports emerging micro-businesses that have growth plans but need independent advice to move these plans forward to the next stage.
Please carefully read our terms and conditions which applies to every mentoring session that you agree to take part in. These have been designed to offer protection and peace of mind to both the mentor and the mentee and to ensure maximum safety and best collaboration between both parties.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s role: The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s involvement in the mentoring programme is limited to identifying the mentor and mentee from a pool of volunteers and introducing the mentors to the mentees.
We – the Goldsmiths’ Centre – do not have any other role in the operation of this programme, expect seeking feedback from both the mentors and mentees.
Confidentiality: All personal data submitted voluntarily through your application form will be shared with potential mentors and held securely on our database.
Your email address will be shared with your mentor once you have been matched. All information you hear or obtain from the mentor must be kept confidential by you indefinitely unless disclosure is permitted by the mentor or is required by law.
Respect: The mentoring scheme is free for mentees because our mentors generously give their time voluntarily. The majority of our mentors have busy full-time jobs in senior leadership positions.
As a mentee you will:
Provide accurate and truthful information through your application form.
Be respectful of your mentor’s time.
Be responsible for scheduling and arranging the meetings with your mentor.
Use your first meeting to draw up clear objectives for the partnership as well as practical details. Be punctual and prepare for your sessions to make the best use of your opportunity.
Listen to your mentors’ opinion but take responsibility for making your own choices.
As a mentor, they will:
Provide independent advice and guidance free of charge.
Listen and keep in confidence the issues you share with them.
Draw on their own experience to provide insight.
Use their first meeting to draw up clear objectives for the partnership as well as practical details.
Cancellations: If an upcoming meeting needs to be rescheduled or cancelled, you are responsible for contacting the mentor directly. Mentors are required to contact the Goldsmiths’ Centre team if they wish to pause or cancel their participation in our Business Mentoring Programme.
Time commitment: Mentoring partnerships can last 6 to 12 months, although you may find you need less/more time to meet your objectives. In your first meeting you and your mentor will discuss how much time you can both realistically commit to the mentorship. Most partnerships meet every 4 to 6 weeks.
Judgement: While the mentoring process will support you in your business development, the mentoring programme should be accompanied by objective judgment. As a mentee, you should take suitable independent professional advice before acting on any information, suggestion, or guidance given by your mentor. You should assess the professionalism, experience and credentials of the mentor and satisfy yourself that they possess the experience necessary to deliver against your requirements.
We, the Goldsmiths’ Centre and the mentor will not, in any circumstances, be liable to the you – the mentee – or to any third party for any loss, cost or other liability which occurs as a result of, or in connection with providing mentoring services to you, the mentee.
While, we - the Goldsmiths’ Centre - have made every effort to ensure that mentoring provided through this service is of high quality and relevant to applicants, we cannot guarantee the integrity, quality or accuracy of the advice of guidance provided by the mentors.
Feedback: The mentee or mentor may get in touch with Goldsmiths’ Centre at any point during the partnership, simply email applications@goldsmiths-centre.org
Mentees are asked to email us once their first meeting with their mentor has taken place and when the mentorship has come to an end. The Goldsmiths’ Centre team will email you six months and twelve months into your mentoring partnership. We expect you to respond to both emails. This information is crucial in steering the future of the programme and helps us to monitor the impact of the scheme. Giving feedback is a requirement of the mentoring scheme.
When things don’t work out: Sometimes things don’t work out. This can be to do with circumstances changing, practicalities or a lack of connection. If the fit doesn’t feel right, circumstances have changed or there is a conflict of interest you should agree to end the partnership and inform the Goldsmiths’ Centre immediately. We will then look to re-match you with someone else. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you feel uncomfortable about any aspect of the mentoring relationship.