Hi. I've a small business with 3 employees but feel that there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge/abilities which could benefit from the guidance of a mentor or someone more experienced / successful in the field. Does anyone have any experience of mentors or something along these lines and what's involved. Much appreciated. Thanks
Mentoring
- Thread starter Roc
- Start date
Dearg Doom
Registered User
- Messages
- 478
No experience with them, but [broken link removed] will have mentors and could probably give you some good information.
Hi,
You could try the Plato network ( see http://www.plato.ie/ ). Can you let us know if you contact them as i have intended to for some time but did not get around to it.
Rgds
You could try the Plato network ( see http://www.plato.ie/ ). Can you let us know if you contact them as i have intended to for some time but did not get around to it.
Rgds
I would look at the Plato Business Development course which runs for 20 months and covers much of the topics which small businesses like yours dont have the inhouse experience to handle.
We are a similiar size company with 4 employees and the course covered many aspects of running a business like HR/ISO/Planning/Taxation etc..
They have a list of mentors who they can put you in touch with depening on the expertise required.
If you want more info let me know.
We are a similiar size company with 4 employees and the course covered many aspects of running a business like HR/ISO/Planning/Taxation etc..
They have a list of mentors who they can put you in touch with depening on the expertise required.
If you want more info let me know.
Plato dont mind what business sector you operate in, on my course we had owner managers from IT companies/Cleaning companies/ Tyre repair centre/ environmental services/ a sculptor etc..
My experience with EI is that unless you're exporting and have turnover over > 1 mill euro + 10 employees theyre not that bothered with assisting small companies. Only my opinion and im sure they do great things for others but they leave smaller companies to the Enterprise Boards to assist.
My experience with EI is that unless you're exporting and have turnover over > 1 mill euro + 10 employees theyre not that bothered with assisting small companies. Only my opinion and im sure they do great things for others but they leave smaller companies to the Enterprise Boards to assist.
Agreed
Hi,
Do contact your local Enterprise Board. All Enterprise Boards have a panel of mentors who are specialists in their field. Be very clear on what areas you need help. Make an appointment to speak with the Enterprise Board Business Advisor and he / she will assist you with this. Also get onto their mailing list as they run an excellent suite of short business development courses and seminars. The number of participants on the courses are normally limited so that each particpant gets a fair bit of individual attention from the facilitator or consultant.
Tangerine
Do contact your local Enterprise Board. All Enterprise Boards have a panel of mentors who are specialists in their field. Be very clear on what areas you need help. Make an appointment to speak with the Enterprise Board Business Advisor and he / she will assist you with this. Also get onto their mailing list as they run an excellent suite of short business development courses and seminars. The number of participants on the courses are normally limited so that each particpant gets a fair bit of individual attention from the facilitator or consultant.
Tangerine
Hi ROC - I have now located the downloaded document I remembered. It is actually a FAS/Leonardo project from 1998. It is called NetMet and the intro goes:-
This Guide has been prepared as part of a transnational EU-funded Leonardo da Vinci project to develop Learning Networks of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The project draws upon the experiences of groups of small companies in the Dublin-West and Kildare region in Ireland who formed themselves into learning networks to help develop their human resources and in so doing develop their companies. The Guide also draws on the experiences of the project partners listed below.
The Dublin-West and Kildare networks drew together the needs of owner-managers of SMEs, the concepts of the Learning Organisation, and the benefits of networking. There are many networks across Europe, but very few dealing primarily with human resources development. The concept of the Learning Organisation has been primarily applied to large firms, and generally is seen as too theoretical and impractical for small businesses. However, the Irish experience, developed further through this transnational project, demonstrates the potential of small groups of owner-managers, who are able to meet on a regular basis, to learn things and achieve things together which they could not do separately. The process enabled owner-managers to learn what a Learning Organisation was, and the benefits it could bring, not through lectures and presentations, but through participation in a learning network.
The key benefits gained through these networks of SMEs, as cited by the members of FASNET, the first network in Dublin-West and Kildare, included:
"No more isolation as owner-manager, mutual support"
"Learning new ways of thinking and doing things"
"Open discussion with peers"
"Learning to involve employees"
"Avoiding making mistakes others already have made"
"Personal analysis of strengths and training needs"
"More successful business".
Overall, the members of each network were very positive about the experiences of the network and found it an extremely beneficial process for themselves and their companies.
The project partners have called the methodology used to create and run the networks ‘NetMet’. The distinguishing features of the networks were:
The aim to achieve self-sufficiency as a network.
Self-directed from the outset (mission and agenda set by the network itself).
Participative, team-based, learning.
Sharing of experience and knowledge, based on mutual trust.
Diverse enterprises in a local area.
The NetMet methodology enables the members to set the network’s goals, working methods, agenda, and evaluation criteria. Initially, an external facilitator is necessary to create the conditions necessary for the achievement of a self-directed and eventually self-managed network.
If you can't locate it PM me and I will e-mail it to you (or to anyone else interested).
This Guide has been prepared as part of a transnational EU-funded Leonardo da Vinci project to develop Learning Networks of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The project draws upon the experiences of groups of small companies in the Dublin-West and Kildare region in Ireland who formed themselves into learning networks to help develop their human resources and in so doing develop their companies. The Guide also draws on the experiences of the project partners listed below.
The Dublin-West and Kildare networks drew together the needs of owner-managers of SMEs, the concepts of the Learning Organisation, and the benefits of networking. There are many networks across Europe, but very few dealing primarily with human resources development. The concept of the Learning Organisation has been primarily applied to large firms, and generally is seen as too theoretical and impractical for small businesses. However, the Irish experience, developed further through this transnational project, demonstrates the potential of small groups of owner-managers, who are able to meet on a regular basis, to learn things and achieve things together which they could not do separately. The process enabled owner-managers to learn what a Learning Organisation was, and the benefits it could bring, not through lectures and presentations, but through participation in a learning network.
The key benefits gained through these networks of SMEs, as cited by the members of FASNET, the first network in Dublin-West and Kildare, included:
"No more isolation as owner-manager, mutual support"
"Learning new ways of thinking and doing things"
"Open discussion with peers"
"Learning to involve employees"
"Avoiding making mistakes others already have made"
"Personal analysis of strengths and training needs"
"More successful business".
Overall, the members of each network were very positive about the experiences of the network and found it an extremely beneficial process for themselves and their companies.
The project partners have called the methodology used to create and run the networks ‘NetMet’. The distinguishing features of the networks were:
The aim to achieve self-sufficiency as a network.
Self-directed from the outset (mission and agenda set by the network itself).
Participative, team-based, learning.
Sharing of experience and knowledge, based on mutual trust.
Diverse enterprises in a local area.
The NetMet methodology enables the members to set the network’s goals, working methods, agenda, and evaluation criteria. Initially, an external facilitator is necessary to create the conditions necessary for the achievement of a self-directed and eventually self-managed network.
If you can't locate it PM me and I will e-mail it to you (or to anyone else interested).
I need to declare an interest in this work and having this in my file. My postgraduate professional training is in psycyotherapeutic group developed through subsequent group relations training (Tavistock Institute 'Leicester Conference' level). In addition to facilitating interdisciplinary groups in the UK health-service I also work with social services and conflict-resolution contexts.
As I'm not currently based in Ireland I don't know how 'use-able' the FAS, Enterprise Ireland etc. offerings are (though have a couple of friends who have set up successful businesses through this training and support........but that is purely anecdotal). From a professional perspective I highly recommend the approach of this NetMet work (which I am not in any way involved with!) as it is most likely to embed and is 'action-learning' of the best kind. Apart from the very occasional use of an external consultant (likes of myself
) these networks are self-sustaining, nuts-and-bolts stuff.
All the best with it!
As I'm not currently based in Ireland I don't know how 'use-able' the FAS, Enterprise Ireland etc. offerings are (though have a couple of friends who have set up successful businesses through this training and support........but that is purely anecdotal). From a professional perspective I highly recommend the approach of this NetMet work (which I am not in any way involved with!) as it is most likely to embed and is 'action-learning' of the best kind. Apart from the very occasional use of an external consultant (likes of myself
) these networks are self-sustaining, nuts-and-bolts stuff.All the best with it!
Your first stop should be your local Enterprise Board who provide Mentors to SME's who are deemed suitable. Most of them also have a range of basic business courses to offer. The E.B.'s are one of Plato's main funders & will refer you to Plato if you are considered suitable i.e over 3 years in business, not a retailer & employ between 3 & 100 people. Whilst there are E.B.'s in every region Plato is confined to Dublin, Cork & the Border Counties. The Plato model differs from that of the E.B.'s & unlike the E.B.'s they do not provide mentors.I have considerable experience in this field but have no vested interest yet I can thoroughly recommend both to SME's who want to fast track their business skills at a very small & highly subsidised cost.