mentorsme.com

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? THE BENEFITS OF MENTORING FOR THE MENTOR

With a history of strategy development both in the UK and overseas, I felt mentoring SME business owners would be a great opportunity to ‘give something back’. I approached The FSE Group last year after learning about their mentoring programme

WHY I ACT AS A MENTOR

I mentor because I enjoy it! The diversity of the mentoring opportunities keeps me fresh and honest and I do believe that the combined knowledge of a mentee and a mentor can provide a significant competitive advantage for a growing business.  I have particularly enjoyed learning about the business models being used in the companies I work with and how they approach their different strategies for growth and success.  HouseSitMatch offers a quality of service that sets it apart from the competition. Seeing the belief in Lamia and other mentees growing at each meeting and seeing their successes building self-confidence is a very satisfying feeling.

HOW I ADD VALUE

I feel that I have added the most value to the businesses I work with simply by listening.  Invariably, they have the core of the solution they are looking for already, often hidden away, because they know their business inside-out.  Bringing that solution out or asking questions that stimulates excitement and ideas – seeing those ‘light-bulb’ moments – gives me the most satisfaction.  Lamia is smart, quick and can make those mental connections very quickly such that my questions will stimulate a series of ideas from her to drive the business forward.  At this point, I feel more like a locksmith than a business Mentor!

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I have learned a great deal from Lamia; the learning and discovery is certainly not one-way and it is an exciting and humbling experience. Lamia has a wealth of marketing knowledge that I will never have…that I am in awe of. However, the application of that knowledge in one’s own business, or lack of, is more obvious to an ‘outsider’. When you are too close to the business, you will sometimes fail to see the wood for the trees. I am constantly looking for these opportunities when talking to Lamia and other mentees to ensure they capitalise on their own skills and expertise.

To read Lamia’s story, and how she has benefitted from working with Kash, click here

The FSE Group runs a completely free Mentoring programme which provides opportunities for mentors to work with exciting SMEs that are looking to grow. Further details are available on our website http://www.thefsegroup.com/mentoring/