Hello and welcome to Mentoring Monthly.
Since Get Mentoring was launched in November 2011, thousands of people from a wide range of industries have signed up to be volunteer business mentors, each with their own unique set of skills and reasons for getting involved. In this month's newsletter we're sharing more of their stories with you, including an inspirational interview with businesswoman Kewcha Ambrose. We also have a story from young entrepreneur Jayesh Hirani who tells us how mentoring has helped his business.
We're also talking about our time at Business 2012 at the O2, where we met many more volunteer mentors as well as many new start businesses looking for mentors. We were delighted to welcome Mike Southon and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones as visitors to the Get Mentoring stand at the show, two of the Government's newly appointed Mentoring Ambassadors.
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A mentee's story: 25-year-old Jayesh Hirani built his business, Safer Minicabs with the help of many mentors. He believes that good mentors are the ones who listen to the challenges you are facing and are not arrogant about their experience because every business faces new and different challenges. more
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A mentor's story:
Lorna Parsons developed a taste for mentoring after being approached by a local business mentor who was running a council scheme encouraging unemployed people to start their own enterprises. After being invited along to share her own experience of setting up a company, Lorna realised that she wanted to consolidate her knowledge and back up her experience with the Get Mentoring training. more
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A mentor's story: With a background in managing an artisan bakery, Marzia Aloisio is familiar with the challenges of running a small business in a rural area. When she set up her shop in Barnard Castle, County Durham, in 2010 she was helped by several mentors, which inspired her to share her own skills and experience with future mentees. Read more
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Get Mentoring is going to be at the New Start Scotland Exhibition in Edinburgh on the 25-26 May. We're looking forward to meeting lots of potential mentors and newly trained mentors at the show. We'll also be encouraging new start businesses to find a mentor. If you're planning to attend, we look forward to seeing you there!
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Business 2012
The Get Mentoring team attended Business 2012 to encourage mentors to sign up for the free mentor training available through the scheme. The team also gathered information from many potential mentees at the show who will be signposted to ways to source a mentor.
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A mentor's story: Jodie Marshall enrolled on the Get Mentoring course at Sheffield College after identifying a lack of mentors with an arts background when she herself was looking for guidance as a new entrepreneur. She thinks that the scheme could be particularly beneficial to women embarking on a new venture. more
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A mentor's story: Despite a long list of work commitments, Nick Kemp is eager to put time aside to become a volunteer business mentor and act as a 'critical friend' for others, in the same way that his mentor acted for him. Nick is delighted to see the recognition being given to the role through Get Mentoring. more
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Don't forget, if you are looking for a mentor, visit Mentorsme, the UK's free online gateway aimed at connecting new and growing businesses with mentoring services. The site offers micro, small and medium-sized enterprises access to a list of quality-assured business mentoring organisations across Britain.
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Do you know someone who would make a great mentor? Let them know by using our 'Tell a friend' facility on the homepage of Get Mentoring.
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