According to the latest figures from Business Mentors New Zealand, the nation’s number one not-for-profit mentoring organisation, more SMEs are seeing the value an experienced volunteer mentor can add to their business.
Between 1st April 2009 and 31st March 2010, 2,385 new clients applied for a mentor. Volunteer mentors carried out 8, 972 mentoring sessions, a 44% increase on the previous year.
‘Over the past decade, prior to the world wide recession, most companies experienced buoyant and benign business conditions,’ explains Ray Schofield, Business Mentors New Zealand CEO. ‘However, the last 18 months have seen many business owners not knowing how to cope in what has become a very challenging business environment. Many lack the experience to get through it which is where a business mentor can be a real asset.’
‘The feedback we’ve had from clients is that they really appreciate the unique opportunity to tap into somebody else’s knowledge,’ adds Ray. ‘A mentor can also act as an impartial third party. Often people, especially those that work in the business as well as owning it, get so close to the company that they are unable to see aspects which are weak and need improvement, as well as areas of opportunity. A mentor can help them step back and see things in a fresh light.’
In addition to the growth figures, it has been revealed that clients are happier than ever with the service. Latest client satisfaction survey results show that overall satisfaction (good/excellent ratings) has climbed to a noteworthy high of 80%
‘These figures go to show that our efforts to provide an increasingly high quality mentoring service are not going unnoticed,’ says Ray. ‘Our aim for 2010 and beyond is to keep improving the standard of mentoring our 1600+ mentors and 15 agents are providing throughout the country. We are definitely focusing on quality over quantity.’
Business Mentors New Zealand was established in 1991. It is funded largely by patrons from the private sector, with additional support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. It provides a mentoring service to businesses that have been operating for at least six months and is the owner’s main source of income. A registration fee of $100 + GST applies, which entitles businesses to use the mentoring service for two years. This is the only cost – the mentoring received is free.
For more information on Business Mentors visit http://www.businessmentors.org.nz/
Between 1st April 2009 and 31st March 2010, 2,385 new clients applied for a mentor. Volunteer mentors carried out 8, 972 mentoring sessions, a 44% increase on the previous year.
‘Over the past decade, prior to the world wide recession, most companies experienced buoyant and benign business conditions,’ explains Ray Schofield, Business Mentors New Zealand CEO. ‘However, the last 18 months have seen many business owners not knowing how to cope in what has become a very challenging business environment. Many lack the experience to get through it which is where a business mentor can be a real asset.’
‘The feedback we’ve had from clients is that they really appreciate the unique opportunity to tap into somebody else’s knowledge,’ adds Ray. ‘A mentor can also act as an impartial third party. Often people, especially those that work in the business as well as owning it, get so close to the company that they are unable to see aspects which are weak and need improvement, as well as areas of opportunity. A mentor can help them step back and see things in a fresh light.’
In addition to the growth figures, it has been revealed that clients are happier than ever with the service. Latest client satisfaction survey results show that overall satisfaction (good/excellent ratings) has climbed to a noteworthy high of 80%
‘These figures go to show that our efforts to provide an increasingly high quality mentoring service are not going unnoticed,’ says Ray. ‘Our aim for 2010 and beyond is to keep improving the standard of mentoring our 1600+ mentors and 15 agents are providing throughout the country. We are definitely focusing on quality over quantity.’
Business Mentors New Zealand was established in 1991. It is funded largely by patrons from the private sector, with additional support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. It provides a mentoring service to businesses that have been operating for at least six months and is the owner’s main source of income. A registration fee of $100 + GST applies, which entitles businesses to use the mentoring service for two years. This is the only cost – the mentoring received is free.
For more information on Business Mentors visit http://www.businessmentors.org.nz/
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