Budding entrepreneurs and start-up business owners based throughout the Sheffield City Region are being urged to take advantage of a new, free of charge programme aimed at giving them the best possible start on their business journey.
Developed by Launchpad, which forms part of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, the unique scheme helps new entrepreneurs and business owners which have been trading for less than two years to access a comprehensive range of free resources including access to training events, as well as working with an experienced business mentor.
The mentoring programme has formally been launched across the Sheffield City Region at a special event which took place at Sheffield Central Library’s Business and IP Centre, which saw over twenty new business owners and experienced entrepreneurs come together to celebrate the launch of the new service.
During the event, delegates were given the opportunity to hear from business owners Jack Brzuz, found of the SME Business Academy and Dawn Bates, who shared their own experiences of how a business mentor can help to make a big difference to small business owners.
Participants of the mentoring programme are paired with an existing SCR business mentor who most meets their business needs and benefit from support and advice such as one to one meetings, training, coaching and events and workshops hosted throughout the City Region. All mentors are experienced entrepreneurs and business owners in their own right, looking to support, nurture and inspire the next generation of start-up successes.
Launchpad is available to all new business owners which have been trading for less than two years who are based in the Sheffield City Region; from Barnsley and Bassetlaw to Doncaster and the Derbyshire Dales.
Irshad Akbar, Business Mentoring Manager at Launchpad, said:
“Launchpad’s Mentoring programme is a tailored programme designed to support new business owners as they take the first steps on their business journey. It brings them together with individuals who have stood in their shoes, offering an opportunity to share the knowledge and expertise they have developed during their own business journey.
“The programme follows a tried and tested formula which helps to give new business owners confidence to grow and develop their ideas, as well as offering a chance to share concerns their business is currently facing. Our mentors come from many different backgrounds, but they share a passion to help others succeed. As a result many of our mentors and mentees become good friends and have built a strong professional relationship once the mentoring sessions were completed, with some even doing business together.”
Jack Brzuz, Founder and CEO, SME Business Academy, said:
“I became a mentor in the Launchpad Mentoring programme because I wanted to be able to provide advice and support for those who, like me, might be stuck at a point on their business journey and not know where to turn. Running a business can be a lonely experience and it’s easy to make the wrong decisions for what are often the right reasons at the time.
“Working with a mentor provides a sounding board and an opportunity to step outside of the day-to-day running of the business to look at the bigger picture. It can be invaluable for both parties. You form a relationship and have a desire to see them achieve and succeed. It’s an experience I’d recommend to any business owner.
“Sometimes when running a business, it’s the little things that really matter and a mentor can help to discuss different challenges and opportunities they face, often drawing on their own experiences.”
Launchpad currently has opportunities for new business owners interested in working with a business mentor and is also looking for experienced business owners based within the Sheffield City Region to join its mentoring programme.
