If you’re looking for mentor? Just follow these four steps and click the button below:
Step 1. Sign into your account
Step 2. Click on the “Find a Mentor” button
Step 3. Use the filters to search for a mentor who closely matches what you need
Step 4. Email them directly to introduce yourself – and go from there!
If the idea of adopting a mentor sounds intriguing to you then read on to find out more. Equally, if becoming a mentor yourself sounds like a rewarding use of your time then keep scrolling!
Running a business can be daunting, especially in the early stages.
When you have to make big decisions about how to operate and develop your business, it’s amazingly helpful to talk to someone who’s been through it already. This is a prime time to gather as many insights and perspectives that you perhaps haven’t thought of. It allows you, as a budding or new(ish) founder, to be way more confident about the decisions you’re making.
Having a mentor can change the game. The right mentor will have more experience in running a business than you do, which they’re ready and willing to share. They’re certainly not there to order you around but, rather, help you understand the implications of your plans and aims ahead of actioning them. A great mentor wants you to feel more confident in what you’re doing, purely by having them around for things like ideation and discussion.
Silicon South’s hub of local mentors will offer you an hour or more every month to act as a sounding board for your next steps. They’ll help you see the ‘bigger picture’, anticipate potential hurdles before they appear, and open your eyes to opportunities you might not have considered yet.
Picture business mentoring as a constructive (and hopefully fun!) partnership between you and a seasoned industry pro, who’s happy to be your professional support system. This dynamic gives you, as a mentee, the chance to look at opportunities and challenges being faced from all the angles so you can be super confident in the decisions you’re making.
A good mentoring relationship normally revolves around meeting each other once a month for a minimum of an hour (ideally in-person, but virtual hangouts can work too).
Before your first meeting, we recommend you take time to review your business objectives and identify specific areas you want to access support around.
Your first chat will be a pretty chilled, informal one. This is a chance for you both to connect and get a feel for whether you’ll be a good match, as a solid relationship is crucial for successful mentoring. If, for any reason, either of you feels it’s not the best fit then it’s perfectly acceptable to part ways at this stage. The experience can still be considered valuable; you’ll be one step closer to knowing what you really want from the mentor you eventually do ‘click’ with.
Once you find this person, and both of you love the idea of teaming up, you should aim to spend six one-to-one sessions together each month. This structured approach ensures a focused and sustained mentorship experience – and, if the experience is still rewarding for both of you after 6-months, we suggest committing to a further six.
Silicon South’s mentor match-up is specifically for founders of early-stage, Dorset companies who are keen for support from more established industry leaders. Your business must be registered on the Silicon South directory to access a mentor here. Going through our simple sign-up process allows you to nip into the mentor match up pages, where you’ll discover a (filterable) list of successful Founders, Senior Directors and industry experts in the BCP and wider Dorset area. Everyone in here is happy to be approached as your possible mentor.
Let’s make this happen for you… your ideal mentor could be just a few clicks away!
You must be logged into gain access. If your business is not a Silicon South supporter already, it’s easy (and free) to sign up. Just click here.
Being a mentor can be such a fulfilling experience. This Mentor Match-Up 100% relies on the generosity of leaders willing give back to their local community – and offer the type of invaluable support that (more often than not) you wish you’d have had when you were starting out.
The commitment is fairly light touch. All we ask is that:
The mentor match-up is designed exclusively to serve early stage business leaders who are Silicon South Supporters, so everyone can be reviewed and verified in advance.
Adding your name to the Mentor Match-Up is simple.
Go to your account dashboard
Click on ‘Edit Business profile’
Select the ‘Mentorship’ top tab
Tick: ‘Are you interested in providing mentoring to other individuals?’
Ensure all your details are filled in correctly
Click Update
That’s it! once that’s done your details will be presented to any prospective mentee searching for a mentor like you. They’ll email you directly if they feel you’d be a good fit for them.
We kindly ask that you double check and confirm they are, in fact, members of the Silicon South network directory before progressing.
There aren’t too many rules of engagement here – they’re covered in the section above and the FAQs below. The Silicon South team are always here to answer questions or queries that might arise during the mentoring process. Lean on us throughout this exciting journey, should you ever need to!
Completely! All the topics discussed in your meetings are kept strictly in confidence between the mentee and mentor.
Support and guidance only. Mentors should not offer advice, but help their mentees discover options and solutions for themselves, and ultimately make their own decisions.
Mentoring relationships should last initially for 6months. At the end of this, we recommend you review progress. If both still find value, we recommend extending for a further 6-months
Mentees are able to find a new mentor if this is useful to them.
Mentors are also encouraged to make themselves available to new prospective mentees in the Mentor Match-Up
