There has been 'huge demand' for business mentors. Photo / Getty
A rise in start-up businesses and those seeking help planning a way forward after Covid-19 wreaked havoc in 2020 has resulted in "huge demand" for business mentors.
Hair salons, barbershops and tattoo parlours were popping up as budding Bay entrepreneurs sought help with running their own business while others looked for continuity planning advice.
Business Mentors New Zealand chief executive Sarah Trotman said there had been a 56 per cent increase in client registrations from 2019 to 2020.
She said what the businesses were asking for was most interesting but not surprising.
Businesses were seeking help with digital marketing, eCommerce skills and rebuilding their teams.
"There has also been a very interesting increase in the number of businesses that are receiving mentoring virtually."
Trotman said the Covid-19 lockdown forced mentors and clients online, which allowed business owners across the country to seek help.
There had also been an increase in the number of start-up businesses as people who may have been made redundant took the opportunity to go out on their own, she said.
"But start-ups need to remember it takes more money and three times longer."
Therefore, she said it was "incredibly important" for businesses to have mentors.
"I think every business owner needs a mentor - successful or struggling."
With demand comes the need for more mentors and Trotman said when Covid hit they had a "massive push" for more business leaders to take on the voluntary mentorship roles.
"We are grateful that business leaders and owners across the country stepped up."
The Bay of Plenty has 188 business mentors.
Business Mentors NZ is a nationwide service with 18 regional agencies and is delivered locally through the Chambers of Commerce in Tauranga and Rotorua.
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said there had been "huge energy and demand" from start-up businesses wanting coaching.
Heard said the chamber's Start-Up Clinic, started last year, had been "extremely" well supported by people wanting to know how to run their own businesses.
"We're not getting a lot of demand for mentoring but we are getting huge demand from the start-ups."
Many people not so keen on the structured 40-hour workweek had signed up and the clinic had a "good strike rate" with most successfully starting up their own business, he said.
"We've got people starting up hair salons, barbers, tattooing parlours, cleaning businesses, and all sorts of neat ideas. There's a lot of online trading ideas."
The clinic put the budding entrepreneurs through a two-step process, firstly screening to see if the proposition is realistic before being coached through a good business plan, he said.
"A lot of these people have no business experience and don't understand the rules of the different Acts, taxation requirements, business plans, cash flow, so they need coaching on all those aspects."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive mentor coordinator Roz Irwin said Covid-19 created havoc for businesses last year and business owners sought support services to help with continuity planning.
"There is now a lot more awareness of what business support services are available and the huge value these services can add to businesses and their owners, so the demand has definitely increased."
Irwin said a business mentor provided support by sharing their own skills, knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be in business.
"For a business owner, it is good to have someone independent come in and take a bird's eye view on their business, validate what they are doing or give them a different perspective on things and, more importantly, give them confidence."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said a mentor could be very useful for any business wanting to grow.
"A good mentor looks at your situation from a broader perspective and can give you different issues for you to reflect on."
Cowley said people should think of a business mentor as a "wise voice inside your head".
"They do not do the work for you, but they can make it easier to charter a pathway in an increasingly complex world.
"People at all stages of their career can benefit from a relationship with a good mentor."
Start-up entrepreneurs, existing businesses, or social enterprises can access a business mentor by registering through the national website www.businessmentors.org.nz.
Business Mentors NZ is an independent not-for-profit organisation. For a small registration fee, businesses will have up to 12 months access to a mentor who will help them develop the business and its owner.
Business Mentors NZ recently surveyed its database of small business owners, of which 100 were from the Bay of Plenty.
When asked, "What do you see as the single biggest effect a mentor could have on you/your business?" 43 per cent said "act as a sounding board".
When asked, "What are you most likely to invest in most heavily over the next 12 months?", marketing and social media ranked highest (54 per cent) with their people following (48 per cent).
When asked, "If you have sought business advice/support in the past 12 months, where have you gone for help?", accountant ranked highest with 47 per cent, followed by business mentor (30 per cent).
Forty-three per cent of surveyed participants agreed they were optimistic for their business for the next 12 months.
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