Somerset Council is inviting local small and medium-sized businesses to apply for free mentoring, with applications taking around five minutes

Somerset businesses facing a tough decision, a growth plateau or simply a lack of someone to bounce ideas off now have a free way to get experienced, impartial support. Somerset Council is offering six hours of free mentoring over six months to Somerset SMEs, matching them with a senior business leader or successful entrepreneur.

The value of mentoring is widely recognised, and Richard Branson is among those who credit a mentor along the way. For a busy business owner, a mentor offers something that’s hard to find inside the business itself: a fresh perspective from someone who has been there. Drawing on their own experience, mentors help identify overlooked areas and hidden opportunities, and keep you accountable to your goals.

The programme’s mentors are drawn from executive and senior management level, and include a former NASDAQ CEO, a multi-national soft drinks manufacturer, a multi-million pound NHS equipment supplier, and a senior transformation executive who works with British and American businesses. Between them they can offer sector experience or support in growth strategy, finance, marketing, HR, e-commerce, bid writing, acquisition, exit strategy and more.

Mentees benefit from a sounding board, the chance to build confidence and skills, and help evaluating goals and overcoming challenges. Past participants say it has helped them focus, rethink their business model and plot a future. The Good Crowd Ltd said it “really made us think about our business model and how we can grow and scale.”

To qualify, a business must be based in Somerset and paying taxes or business rates to Somerset Council, have been trading for over a year, and have two or more employees, excluding directors. The application form has two pages and takes about five minutes to complete.

Apply to be a mentee: https://service.somerset.gov.uk/Apply-to-be-a-mentee