GrowBiz Celebrates National Mentoring Day

With National Mentoring Day on the 27th of October, enterprise support organisation GrowBiz is asking those in the rural business community to consider whether they can give something back by volunteering as a mentor.

GrowBiz’s award-winning business mentoring programme is always in high demand from mentees looking for a listening ear and a safe space to discuss their plans, projects and challenges. GrowBiz wants to be able to offer even more local self-employed people the opportunity to benefit from the programme, and mentors are vital to making that happen.

Mentor Archie Muir says “I became interested in the mentoring process as I felt that, as a retired ex Chartered Accountant, I have a great deal of worthwhile experience in advising on business, especially start-ups and helping to expand young enterprises and wanted to use this experience in a positive way.”

Mentoring is a worthwhile way to share experience you’ve gained, develop your communication skills, gain confidence in guiding others, build a network of rewarding relationships and give back by helping someone unlock their full potential. 

Mentor Stuart Broster says: “I joined because I semi-retired in May 2020, after a very busy career in the hospitality industry for 45 years; mentoring has allowed me to give something back, and has been very important for me as it allows me to keep my brain ticking over, and of course you meet some great people along the way.”

Prior mentoring experience or business qualifications to volunteer as a GrowBiz mentor isn’t needed, just some experience in running a business, managing a team, training, or being involved in community development work. Mentor training is provided to show how to hone and adapt these skills to the mentoring process. 

Mentor Steve Taylor says: “I got involved because I have quite a bit of experience across a range of businesses and brands, and thought it might be useful to share that. I’ve been a working artist for the past 20 years, so have some small business/self-employed experience too.”

Volunteer mentors can also manage how much time they spend with their mentees, how often to meet and where.

GrowBiz Deputy CEO and Mentoring Manager, Clair Smith, says: “We would love to hear from more people in the rural business community who may be able to help us by volunteering as a mentor, even if it’s just for one or two hours a month. It’s a truly rewarding process, and the training we provide is also extremely valuable. The programme can be a real confidence boost for both mentees and mentors as they work together to increase their skills.”

Clair adds: “The GrowBiz mentoring team is also excited to be involved in the Scottish Mentoring Network Conference this week, an annual event which enables us to build on existing collaborations and connections, and gives us the opportunity to make new ones. 

“This year we will be facilitating a knowledge exchange table, where we’ll share information about how to manage your own wellbeing using the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®), as a starting point to being a successful mentor or mentee.” 

WRAP® is both a training programme and a practical personal plan to overcome challenges and support wellbeing. Research shows that attending a WRAP® workshop can support people to decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviours, increase personal empowerment, improve quality of life and achieve their life goals and dreams—much of which is also an object of the mentoring process. 

The GrowBiz business mentoring programme is accredited by the Scottish Mentoring Network. Find out more at www.growbiz.co.uk/mentoring