VisitRenfrewshire
Business Mentoring
Business Matters Winter 2009
The Business Network Online
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!
Renfrewshire Chamber 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
Mentor Profile
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
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
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.
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.
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Testimonials
“We had a great first meeting with our mentor. He was really nice and helpful. He definitely helped to focus our minds. We are looking forward to working with our mentor. A great match.”
Eddie Tweedie, First Choice Finance Scotland (Ltd)
“We had quite an in depth conversation with our mentor at the first meeting. We felt very comfortable with him. We are looking forward to future meetings and driving our business forward. Thanks for all your help.”
Joanne Shaw & Anne Bryan, Gilding the Lily.
“Our mentor has worked with us to assist in improving the health and safety culture of our business for staff and customers alike. The mentor has supported us in the development of a new health and safety strategy. This has been highly beneficial to our business. I would recommend the mentoring programme to all businesses”
Derek Provan, BAA Glasgow Airport.
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Click here to download Business Mentoring Application Form
Click here to download Business Mentoring Guidlines
For further information contact Ina Gibson at Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce’
E Mail igibson@renfrewshirechamber.com or phone 0141 847 5450