Successful Mentoring for Growth program turns 15

Published Wednesday, 09 August, 2017 at 04:35 PM

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch

Small Business Minister Leeanne Enoch today (Wednesday) thanked more than 300 business leaders and experts volunteering their time and experience to help Queensland small businesses under the Mentoring for Growth program.

Ms Enoch said the program is providing small businesses with access to business experts who volunteer their time to provide insights and advice on business challenges and opportunities.

Marking the 15th birthday of the program, Ms Enoch said its longevity is testament to its success - and the commitment shown by mentors.

“Mentoring for Growth has helped more than 1700 businesses to grow and innovate since 2002,” Ms Enoch said.

“To have that many businesses access valuable business advice not only benefits these businesses, but also our state’s economy.

“The program has grown over 15 years and now offers mentor chats and specialist mentoring panels on exporting, investing, pitching and recovery.

“The mentors are the heroes behind the Mentoring for Growth program. These successful business experts give up their time for free to help small business owners on their path to success.

“Their commitment and collaboration has helped so many Queensland small businesses with guidance and support and I want to thank every mentor for their contribution to the program.”

Ms Enoch said the Mentoring for Growth program has been expanded by the Palaszczuk Government after funding was slashed under the LNP.

“Unlike Tim Nicholls, who in his first budget as Treasurer oversaw more than $700,000 in cuts to small business programs including Mentoring for Growth, we understand how important and successful these programs are,” she said.

“Over the past financial year, we’ve supported 297 mentoring activities by connecting operators with business experts who provide suggestions and insights on business challenges and opportunities.”

Mentoring for Growth mentor and owner of 6peas marketing Carolyn Grant says hearing from someone who has been there before is a good way to ensure your business is on the path to success.

“A good mentor will provide some great connections for you to gain initial momentum,” she said.

“We should not only inspire, but also use our experience and connections for the business owner to take the next step.

“The Mentoring for Growth program is a great roundtable for business to access this knowledge from a panel of business experts for no cost. It’s a level of access you wouldn’t normally have.”

Mentee and successful small business owner Julia Powell of free-range heritage pig breeders Backfatters said her experience with the Mentoring for Growth panel was positive.

“We’ve been to a couple of panels, and they gave us some good insights,” she said. “We had a mix of business people and could get quite different points of view, which was fantastic.

“They were always keen for us to keep learning. One panel member said we could make mistakes – just don’t keep making the same ones. Those are very wise words.”

To learn more about Mentoring for Growth and to see if your small business is eligible visit www.business.qld.gov.au

ENDS

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