Chesterfield-based SME expert is one of 2,500 mentors helping small businesses shine

The former MD of a Chesterfield engineering company is one of more than 2,500 mentors that have volunteered and been trained to help other businesses shine as part of the government's Help to Grow: Management Course.

Mel Archbould is the former MD of a family-owned engineering business Palamatic Ltd - now successfully sold - and wanted to pass on her years of experience growing a company to other small business owners. She now runs Cloudbusting with the aim of helping small business owners to scale while still making a profit.

Mel said:

"It's only when businesses start to implement the knowledge they've gained that the UK economy will see and feel the benefit of sustainable growth.

“I know from many courses and events I've taken part in over the years that the biggest challenge is walking back into the business and putting in place what you've learned. So, by mentoring and supporting each mentee I work with, I'm giving them a far greater chance of putting into play some of the knowledge they've acquired.

"And once the course is complete, they may want to continue the support. So, building trust and seeing the benefits of working with a business mentor is a good way to test the waters."

Mel is passionate about the impact mentoring can have on business growth. She said:

"You don't know what you don't know! Without a doubt, having a trusted and experienced person to talk to outside the business, with whom you can discuss challenges and develop ideas, is highly impactful and valuable for a business owner.

"Being able to draw on their experience to help develop your own clarity, strategy and method for driving the business forward can often feel like a lightbulb moment.

"You're often on the right track, but having the chance to talk around the subject with someone who understands and asks smart questions just prompts the thoughts to fall into place. It also helps to embed learning and the ways it can be implemented within the business."

According to the Office for National Statistics, improving and developing management practices can result in a productivity boost of up to 10 per cent.* 

The Help to Grow: Management Course offers senior business leaders one-to-one support from an experienced and fully rated business mentor included in 50 hours of leadership and management training across 12 weeks, with the government covering 90% of the costs involved. Training is delivered via a national network of over 50 business schools.  

Emma Jones, founder of small business support platform Enterprise Nation, part of the consortium of businesses contracted to recruit volunteer mentors for the course, said:

"It's so important right now for businesses to be able to access high quality support like this.    

"The Help to Grow: Management Course online platform allows businesses to find the perfect mentor so they can start to put what they have learned into practice."   

A digital platform uses data and weighting technology to pair businesses with mentors based on location, sector, and mentoring support required along with real human support. Mentors sign up on a voluntary basis and offer a commitment of 10 hours, over 12 weeks, plus time to engage in training offered by the Association of Business Mentors.    

In exchange for offering their time and experience, voluntary Help to Grow: Management Course mentors receive significant value in the form of industry recognised mentor training, networking opportunities with other mentors, and the ability to join a national effort aimed at supporting the growth of the UK economy by increasing small businesses' productivity.   

Led by business support group Newable and including Enterprise Nation and the Association of Business Mentors the consortium was appointed by the government to develop a national network of business leaders and experts who will share their skills and experience with firms on the practical management training course.   

Those interested in becoming a mentor, can sign up here.   

* ONS (2018), Management practices and productivity in British production and services industries - initial results from the Management and Expectations Survey: 2016 

ENDS   

About Help to Grow: Management Course   

The government-backed Help to Grow: Management Course provides established small and medium businesses with leadership support training and support. It is delivered in collaboration with industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs.   

The course is 90% subsidised by the government and costs participating businesses just £750. It is aimed at senior leaders of small and medium sized businesses.   

Each participant is matched with a voluntary business mentor via the online Help to Grow: Management Course platform. A consortium led by Newable and including Enterprise Nation and the Association of Business Mentors is responsible for recruiting a national network of voluntary mentors and experts who will guide participants through a growth action plan hosted on the help to Grow: Management Course platform.  

About Newable    

Newable is the leading provider of Money, Advice and Workspace to SMEs. Now employing over 1,000 professional staff, it has grown to become a national business with a presence from Aberdeen to Brighton, serving over 43,000 client companies each year. 

 About Enterprise Nation    

Enterprise Nation is a business support platform and provider delivering support to more than 50,000 small businesses every month. Its aim is to help people turn their good ideas into great businesses -- through expert advice (including a comprehensive resources library), events, acceleration support and networking.  

Enterprise Nation was founded in 2005 by British entrepreneur Emma Jones CBE, also co-founder of national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain. She is author of best-selling business books and is a frequently called-on and regular media commentator on a range of issues which affect the UK's growing number of SMEs. 

 About the Association of Business Mentors   

The Association of Business Mentors (ABM) is the UK's leading professional body supporting the business mentor and coach sector while raising the profile of the value of business mentoring to small business owners.