Mentoring FAQs
How does it work?
Mentoring is a service offered by Local Enterprise Office where experts in your industry can offer advice and support to help you develop your business, react to changing situations or find solutions to problems.
The first thing you need to do to enlist the help of a mentor is to contact your Local Enterprise Office for an application form.
When approved, your LEO will work with you to select the most suitable mentor from their panel of expert and experienced business practitioners who will offer you independent guidance and advice.
You can then arrange the first meeting with your mentor, either by telephone or video conference.
Who is eligible for LEO mentoring?
All small businesses, including sole traders, start-ups, and companies of any size across every sector, may apply to their LEO for mentoring services. So, if you are interested, please contact your local office directly for further information.
What service does the mentor provide?
We all benefit from advice or support, or even just a second opinion on something we had already reached an opinion on – and this is where the mentor comes in.
Every LEO across the country provides a business mentoring service where a skilled and experienced mentor from the carefully selected expert panel is appointed to assist you in the strategic development of your business.
Your assigned mentor will provide confidential advice and guidance on specific business functions, such as guidance on raising finance, managing finance, ICT, sales, online marketing and HR. Working with the owner or manager of your individual small business, the mentor can help you to develop strategies to address certain issues and maximize potential opportunities as well as offering support and a listening ear.
Do I have to pay anything?
Like all services provided by the LEO, the mentor programme is subsidised for small businesses. And while ordinarily most LEOs charge a small fee for the provision of mentoring, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, all mentoring services are being provided completely free of charge.
Can I choose a mentor?
Your LEO will work with you to choose a suitable mentor from their panel of experienced sector specific experts.
