Join our mentoring programme

Thank you for your interest in joining our mentoring programme.

Mentoring enables Somerset’s small and medium (SME) businesses to learn from our community of experienced business leaders, how to accelerate business development, make better strategic decisions, be more productive and ultimately grow the business. Each SME leader will be matched with an experienced business professional who will guide you to solutions for problems and issues within the business.

Find out how to become a Mentor or a Mentee below.

Finding an experienced business mentor

Our mentors have been selected from executive and senior management level business leaders and successful entrepreneurs. They include a former NASDAQ CEO, a soft drinks manufacturer who supplies major retailers in the UK and abroad, a multi-million pound NHS equipment supplier and a senior transformation executive who works with UK and US quoted businesses. All understand the challenges with running and growing a business and the value of an impartial sounding board.

They can offer sector experience or support in growth strategy, finance, marketing, HR , e-commerce, bid writing, acquisition, exit strategy, and much more!

You can apply to be a mentee below.

Apply to be a business mentee

Please only apply if your businesses is over 1 year old, with 2 or more employees.

This form has 2 pages and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Mentee

Could you benefit from fresh, experienced insight and a sounding board as you run and grow your business? What do you want to achieve?

  • Evaluate Your Goals
  • Learn From Successful Business People
  • Gain Confidence and Learn Skills
  • Overcome Challenges
  • Up to 6 hrs of free mentoring over a 3-month period offered to businesses over 1 year old, with 2 or more employees.

The rewards of becoming a business mentor

Are you an experienced businessperson who would like to contribute your knowledge and expertise to help support the growth and resilience of micro, small or medium businesses in Somerset?

We are looking to fill the roles with active or retired executive and senior management level business leaders, or successful entrepreneurs, who can:

  • understand the challenges associated with running and growing a business,
  • the value of impartial advice and
  • offer sector experience or a specialism such as finance, marketing, HR, or e-commerce.

And above all, be willing to give up their time for free to make a difference.

The next mentor training sessions will take place in the Autumn (October/November). Dates to be confirmed.

You can apply to be a mentor below.

Apply to be a business mentor

This form has 2 pages and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Mentor

Being a Somerset Business Mentor is an unpaid position, but brings many benefits:

  • Training – in the form of a two-day mentoring workshop and accreditation
  • Career development – adding mentorship to your skillset
  • Networking – be part of the start of a significant new chapter for the Somerset business community and benefit from peer-to-peer support
  • Personal fulfilment – the reward of seeing a mentee’s businesses thrive
  • Reinvigorating relationships

Contact us

If you have any questions about the programme please email scbusmentor@somerset.gov.uk and we will contact you to discuss.