Choosing a Mentor

 What qualifies someone to be a Mentor?

There is no formal qualification to become a Mentor. All the Mentors at SBMS are business people who have a wide range of experience brought about by their years of business activity. Most are retired and want to help small businesses prosper.

What’s the difference between a Mentor and a Consultant?

Very broadly, a Consultant is somebody who you pay to do the work for you where as a Mentor is somebody who helps you develop knowledge or skills so you can do the work.

What if I can’t find a Mentor with an exact match for my business?

That may possibly happen. We do not have a team of Mentors that cover every Business and Industry experience. However all our Mentors have had long and valuable experience in key business disciplines and they don’t become a Mentor for SBMS without this grounding of experience. We know from our years of Mentoring that the core business issues tend to be the same regardless of the industry but by having our Mentor’s list their skills, a good match should ensue.

How do I choose the right Mentor to help me?

Our Mentors have a wide ranging skill and experience base. We have made it as easy as possible to help you choose the most suitable Mentor for you and your business. The best way to choose a Mentor is to select the skills or industries that you seek from the menu. This will allow the site to bring up a mentor list with the mentors that have the most experience in your particular industry or with the specific skills you need.

Metropolitan and Regional

SBMS Mentors are usually retired or semiretired. As Volunteers they offer their assistance at low subsidised rates and seek to help you to make your business better. In most instances the Mentor will come to you. If you live outside of a mentors listed area ( Mentors show the areas they can travel to, or live in under their CV), Mentors will be happy to meet you at an agreed location. If you are a regional client seeking a metropolitan mentor or the reverse, you can still choose any mentor if you are prepared to travel to their region to meet. In general if a Mentor is selected that does not travel to your region we will endeavour to try to find a more local mentor.