Access guidance from experienced business people.

Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown's Mentor Programme is designed to match up the knowledge, skills, insights and entrepreneurial capability of experienced business practitioners with small business owner/ managers who need practical and strategic one to one advice and guidance. The mentor contributes independent, informed observation and advice to aid decision making.

Our mentor programme is open to new and existing businesses based in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county. Confidentiality is assured.

Note: A Mentor is not a professional consultant and, under the terms of the programme, may not become actively involved in the day-to-day management or assume the role of an executive in the company.

The Role of Mentor:

• Listen
• Advise and provide direction
• Help the promoter identify problems and suggest areas for improvement
• Discuss solutions and innovative ways of improving business activity
• Help with the decision making process
• Share experience and knowledge
• Provide structure and context for discussion
• Offer assistance in compiling a business plan

Areas of involvement typically include:

• Business Strategy
• Financial Planning
• Market Research
• Marketing & Promotion
• The Sales Process
• eCommerce
• Exporting

Mentoring Fee 

There is currently no charge for mentoring support.

How to Apply

1.Complete the Online Mentoring Application Form.
    The application form will ask you describe your business and the type of support you are seeking.

2. Submit the application form. On receipt of your completed application form, we will then match you up with a suitable mentor.

Please note, we also run Business Advice Clinics (one-to-one) where you can avail of general business advice and details on the various supports available to you. Full Details Here.

Mentoring Guidelines

The following guidelines have been prepared to assist companies using our Mentor Programme to develop the best possible relationship with their Mentor and to answer some of the frequently asked questions.

What will my Mentor do for me?

The word Mentor, which comes from the Greek, means “trusted advisor, friend, and confidant”.

The Mentor assigned to your company has a clear objective – to help you grow and develop skills to enable you overcome barriers which are impeding your company’s development.

Your Mentor will be able to give you the benefit of a vast amount of experience, together with an objective view of the issues you are facing. The Mentor will guide and advise you on the course of action to be taken in a given situation.

Your Mentor will not become actively involved in the day-to-day running of your business nor will Mentors assume the role of an executive of the company – that is not their job.

Mentoring delivers best results when everyone involved has clear objectives.

Your Mentor will typically undertake an assignment of 3 – 6 hours (this may increase if required, and with the agreement of both parties and the Programme Co-ordinator), at times and dates to be agreed between you. After the first meeting with your Mentor, everyone should have a clear understanding of the ground rules for the relationship and what needs to be achieved during the Mentoring period. We recommend that these objectives are written down in a clear and concise statement to assist both you and your Mentor to remain focused on your long term goal.

You should prepare for each meeting, deciding in advance what you wish to discuss and why. Providing your Mentor with an agenda in advance will help optimise the time you have and will also help to ensure positive action from each meeting.

Your Mentor will challenge you and your company to reach new heights.

You have chosen to use the Mentor Programme service because you believe you can benefit from the advice and expertise of someone who has “been there, done that”. Often your Mentor will challenge you, stimulate your thought processes and even cause you to question decisions you have made.

Are you prepared to accept constructive critical comments; to listen and evaluate new ideas; to answer sometimes uncomfortable questions? Can you be open and honest about your strengths and weaknesses?

If the answer is “yes”, then you are open to accepting the advice and suggestions of your Mentor and to developing a good working relationship for the benefit of you and your company.

The Mentor Programme gives you flexibility and control

The Mentor Programme was established to help companies identify and overcome obstacles to future growth. A wide range of Mentors are available and every effort is made to match the Mentor to the specific needs of your company. The Programme Co-ordinator will suggest a suitable Mentor based on your requirements as set out in the application form.

If you have a number of issues, for example in both finance and production, and need different skills to overcome these issues, more than one Mentor can be involved in an assignment.

Once appointed a Mentor if you feel that for whatever reason the Mentor is not meeting your needs, a different Mentor can be assigned to you.

While an assignment has a specific number of hours (3 – 6 as requested in your application form), it can be terminated earlier if you feel your objectives have been met.

In summary, you have both flexibility and control throughout the process.

Using the approved mentoring hours

The length of each individual meeting and how you use the mentoring hours approved will be determined by you and your mentor. 

If, after these sessions have taken place, you feel that more mentoring is required, you can contact the programme coordinator to request further support.  

In the event that you have to change an arranged meeting with your mentor, please try to give them as much notice as possible.

Please note: if notice of less than one working day is given, we may need to deduct an hour from your approved mentoring allocation. 

Please also note that if you do not keep to the schedule of meetings arranged or if your mentor has difficulties in contacting you to arrange further meetings then we will have to assume that the assignment is at an end.

Confidentiality?

The most successful relationships are those which are based on mutual openness and trust. If the Mentor is to give you the best possible advice and assistance, he/she will need to know all the facts and background to you and your company. Remember that your Mentor will also need to feel that he/she can trust you with confidences about their own business experience. Every Mentor signs a strict confidentiality agreement so you can be assured that all discussions and correspondence between you, your Mentor and the LEODLR remain confidential.

Feedback

The Mentor will provide the LEODLR with reports on the progress of the assignment against the agreed objectives. He/she may also ask a LEODLR Staff Member to contact you if specific relevant matters arise.

In addition the Programme Co-ordinator will seek your views on the extent to which the agreed objectives have been met.

Is there a fee?

There is currently no charge for mentoring support.

Continuing the relationship?

Some companies which engage a Mentor wish to continue the relationship on a more long-term basis. The Mentor Programme prohibits individuals from serving simultaneously as a Mentor and in any other role on behalf of a company. However, when the Mentor assignment has been completed / terminated both parties are free to conclude whatever long-term arrangements they may wish.

The Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Mentor Programme looks forward to helping you to achieve your goals.