BUSINESS MENTORING SCOTLAND PROGRAMME
Do you ever feel that you need a bit of support when growing your business…….?
Would your business benefit from the input of an experienced mentor who is there to support and challenge you…..?
…….then the mentoring service might be for you……and it’s free!
Scottish Chambers of Commerce is delivering a mentoring service across Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Dumbartonshire. We have a pool of experienced mentors, men and women who have many years of experience of running businesses who have signed up to offer mentoring support to growing businesses.
Mentors
- come from a wide range of sectors and professions,
- have experience of working at CEO or Director level
- have a wide range of skills, for example strategic development, growth, sales, marketing, finance, or operations
- are willing to share their experience and their expertise.
MentorProfile
Colin Neill is a Director at the drinks company Diageo in Shieldhall and has been a mentor since 2005. Over this period Colin has successfully mentored 9 companies in a variety of sectors and sizes, from SME’s to large Blue Chip organizations. Colin’s strengths lie in business develop, people development and business strategy. He is a keen supporting of the business mentoring programme and would recommend it as a valuable support to all companies especially in today’s economic climate.
Chamber staff work with businesses to help then determine what they want from a mentor, this will then influence the type of mentor ‘matched’ to the business.
There are three programmes under the Business Mentoring Scotland Programme
- One to one:
This is aimed at businesses that are seeking to grow. The benefit of a one to one mentor is someone who has ‘been there and done it’, someone who can offer guidance on how to overcome barriers, and someone who can offer an objective point of view and a fresh approach. Businesses can benefit from one to one mentoring for up to 12 months, and the process is typically a 2 to 4 hour session once a month with telephone and email contact in between, however the programme is flexible and the level of contact is agreed between the Mentor and the business. The service really is tailored to the needs of the business being mentored
- Group mentoring
This is for growing businesses which are seeking support across a number of topics for example finance HR or marketing. Groups of up to 8 companies meet for a minimum of 3 times and benefit from the input of an experienced mentor on a specific subject.
- Online
Businesses can log in and access information and support on line. This is ideal for the more straightforward questions that businesses struggle to find answers to.