Date: 15th August 2007
Do you Need a Business Mentor?
Free business mentoring support is now available for entrepreneurs to help them stay on track during the first 12 months of setting up a business.The business mentoring scheme is a joint initiative between the Centre for Enterprise at MMU Business School, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), the Centre for Social Inclusion at MMU Cheshire and Bolton Business Ventures and offers free business mentor support to entrepreneurs for 12 months.
The scheme is also open to NES graduates. NES is the New Entrepreneur Scholarship programme for which MMUBS is the regional contractor, and is run through the Centre for Enterprise.
The new business mentor scheme is available in Lancashire and Greater Manchester and is funded through HEFCE’s Strategic Development Fund. It aims to give mentor support to up to 100 entrepreneurs in the process of starting their own business for the crucial first 12 months of operation.
“Mentors for the new scheme have now undergone their training and are ready for their entrepreneurial clients,” explained Sally Bate, NES Project Manager at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).
“We are looking for entrepreneurs to step forward and let us know if they need a mentor. An experienced business mentor can help entrepreneurs overcome some of the problems they might face in the first year of setting up, like feeling isolated, making links with the wider business community and networks, and developing self-confidence.”
Business mentors are volunteers who are trained in giving advice and guidance. They come from a range of business sectors and many have started a business or been involved in business set-ups. Mentoring will be delivered for 12 months at one-to-one counselling meetings of between 45 minutes to 2 hours. Support can be given face-to-face, by telephone or e-mail.
Entrepreneurs interested in having a free business mentor should contact:
Sally Bate, UCLAN on 01772 894768 or entscholarship@uclan.ac.uk
Dominic Martinez, MMUBS on 0161 247 3954 or d.martinez@mmu.ac.uk