Business mentor: Good sound advice, and all for nothing

Q. Some time ago, I visited a BizInfo centre. The staff gave me many ideas on expanding my business and I didn't have to pay. They also introduced me to a mentor programme that was free. It was my first experience of anything of value being free. Who pays for these operations?

A. Colin Bass, project manager and mentor with Business in the Community, the charitable trust providing the Business Mentor Programme, replies:

It's heartening to see small business operators using and getting value from the free services available to them.

One thing is for sure, every operator can benefit from the support available, whether they are doing well or hitting the wall.

BizInfo and Business in the Community offer free support to small businesses.

BizInfo delivers a range of information and educational services for small business, and is financed by Industry New Zealand, a Government agency focused on economic development.

Business in the Community offers its nationwide free mentoring service, which has more than 1400 experienced business mentors, and is financed mainly by private companies.

More than 3000 small business owners use the service annually.

Business in the Community's patron companies, which give financial or product/service support, include some of New Zealand's leading companies and rising stars which recognise the importance to their businesses of supporting the small business environment.

An example of the support we get from "in kind" patrons is the ACT Technology Park, AUT's business incubator, in Penrose, which provides the space for the Business in the Community national offices.

We have about 150 patron companies, and we are extremely grateful for their support.

A list of these companies is on our www.businessmentor.org.nz website.

The mentor programme provides its free mentoring service to any business that has been operating for more than 6 months and has fewer than 25 employees.

Mentors are experienced business people who volunteer to put something back into the economy by sharing their knowledge and skills with others.

When a client asks to meet a business mentor, the request is screened by the mentor co-ordinator in the one of 22 Business in the Community agencies that is closest to the client.

It assesses the client's requirements, then matches the client with a mentor, based on the expertise the client requires and the industry they are in.

Mentors are totally independent business people, and as they have no emotional or financial involvement in the business concerned, they are free to give impartial advice.

The extent of the mentoring relationship depends on the requirements of the client and the availability of the mentor. It can be a one-off meeting or a continuing relationship.

Business in the Community was set up in New Zealand in 1991.

It has been built with the assistance of numerous business leaders, notably Sir James Fletcher, the founding chairman.

These people have all recognised the original philosophy of the international Business in the Community organisation in valuing the contribution that small businesses play in the stability of a country's overall economy.

The introduction of our website gives significant benefits for patron companies interested in plugging into an online community that includes agencies, mentors, clients and patrons.

Being a business mentor is a hugely rewarding experience.

As well as creating the chance to give something back to the small business environment, it has educational and networking benefits.

To find out more about using the service or becoming a mentor or a patron, visit our website at www.businessmentor.org.nz or call the free phone number 0508 103 400.

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