Being Mentored the experience
My sessions with my business mentor were thought provoking and constructive. It has helped me see my business idea in a new light and understand areas that needed more focus. I am very grateful for the time my business mentor gave and would certainly recommend mentoring. I was unemployed and couldn’t find a permanent job, I had been thinking of starting my own business but wasn’t really sure how to go about it and what exactly I could do. When I left school I became an apprentice toolmaker, progressing to Tool room Manager. I then went to Florida, USA to help set-up a sister company, my main role was Works Manager although I was involved in every aspect of setting up the business and stayed for 2 years as per my American Visa.
As an individual I have always been interested in the mechanics of business and helping other people. Business is something I enjoy and I was thinking of starting my own business as a small business consultant, through open questioning Carl has helped me focus on my skills and experience to help me build a business based around what I am good at. I found my mentor Carl very easy to talk to and he didn’t complicate things but explained them in a way I could understand, (plus the use of various sketches which really helped get points and information across as this is my learning style) the only downside was the hour sessions passed very quickly I wished it could have been a bit longer.
As the sessions went on I felt more and more motivated as I knew which direction I wanted my business to go in whereas before the mentoring sessions I felt I had so many ideas but didn’t know which one to concentrate on first. My mentor has been invaluable, he was always offering me great ideas and advice, which will obviously very helpful in setting my business up, I know feel ready to get out there and get my business started and tell the world what I do.
The mentor’s perspective
I have been mentoring for 5 years or so and Paul is typical of the individuals I see as part of my mentoring work, he is a determined, enthusiastic individual who has the desire to take control of his own destiny, but was unsure of how, where and when to start his business.
Mentoring Paul wasn’t as straight forward for me as it has perhaps been with other mentee’s, as he is now essentially a direct competitor of my sales management consultancy business. However, through mentoring Paul; I have re-discovered some of the vital daily routines that I had forgotten about, that I have now put back in place. I am sure that if Paul sticks to his business plan and focuses his attention on his personal strengths that he will succeed and achieve his short and long term goals. Good luck Paul in your new venture.
Author: Paul Harrison & Carl Bradshaw