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Business mentors: supporting small business in Tasmania and on the Central Coast of NSW: a report by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum: August

Business Mentor Programs were developed as one of the responses to the economic and social consequences of the failure of small businesses. The key objective of such programs is to support small business through the provision of experienced volunteer mentors drawn from retired, semi-retired and active business people in the local community. This report attempts to document the successes and barriers to success of the two Business Mentor Programs, summarise feedback from clients, mentors and management and provide case studies of mentoring relationships with the objectives of: providing the programs with information that will support their long term planning and development; providing information that will support applications for ongoing funding and sponsorship of the Programs; encouraging other regions in Australia to draw on the resources of the growing pool of non-working volunteers with business experience in their community for a similar purpose; fostering the development of a broader Business Mentor network. Data were collected by means of personal interviews and written surveys of a number of the people who had participated in the programs. Clients report a high level of satisfaction in the results of the Programs. With the assistance of their mentor many have improved their business operations, such as book keeping, financial planning, asset management and marketing, and have increased their profitability. Mentors reported exceptional results where they worked together in teams combining their efforts and complementary skills in mentoring clients. Key recommendations for future action include the development of a network of business mentors, greater utilisation and support of these mentors, the introduction of mentor training and the provision of clearer guidelines and tools to assist the development of rewarding mentor relationships.

Business Mentor Programs were developed as one of the responses to the economic and social consequences of the failure of ...  Show Full Abstract  

Corporate authors: Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF)
Date: 1999
Geographic subjects: Oceania; Australia; Tasmania;
Resource type: Report
Subjects: Workforce development; Industry; Research;

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