Demand from SMEs is high according to Business Mentors New Zealand (BMNZ), the nation’s only not-for-profit mentoring organisation, and it’s not just start ups and fledging companies seeking help. Many older companies are seeking help for the first time and this is not just a sign of a chilly economic climate. Increasingly businesspeople understand the value of having someone to talk to, outside of family and friends, who is ready and able to take an interest in what they do. One very special aspect about BMNZ is that it gives its clients, for a nominal registration fee of $100, access to expertise that they simply couldn’t buy. In many cases the mentors, successful, experienced business experts, are just not for hire. They volunteer their time and services. Others, such as me, provide services for a fee, but at a rate most SMEs wouldn’t be able to afford. We donate those services to BMNZ as our way of putting something back into the community. Which is why many big businesses support the organisation. It’s their way of demonstrating corporate and social responsibility. Mentoring, over time, often develops into a unique relationship, which enhances the professional lives of both mentor and client. Through one mentoring assignment I discovered a lot about heating innovations; in another a whole new world of retail fashion jewellery opened up. I’ve met some fascinating, dedicated, inspiring businesspeople. In return, I hope the clients were able to improve their marketing communications, grow their business and ultimately their sales. It is important to understand what you can get from a mentoring relationship though. Some clients think that you are going to do it all for them. It doesn’t work like that. We might point a client in the right direction but they have to walk the walk themselves.

This was recognised recently when they were named the 2009 and 2010 Auckland regional winner of the That’s Life! Best Chip Shop Competition, held bi-annually to find the healthiest and tastiest chips across New Zealand.

Located in Royal Oak, Auckland, The Chip Shop is now one of the busiest and most popular take-away shops for miles around. Tina and Trevor make their chips from scratch, emphasising the importance of draining them thoroughly, and crumb fish to order. They were also the first fish and chip shop to start offering gluten and wheat free products.

The couple decided to contact not-for-profit organisation Business Mentors New Zealand shortly after taking on their new venture. They were quickly teamed up with experienced local mentor, Ian Halsted, who has a wealth of retail and business knowledge at his disposal.

‘Tina had heard about Business Mentors and thought it sounded like just what we needed. So, we did a bit of research and decided to apply for a mentor,’ explains Trevor. ‘We knew that we wanted some guidance right from the beginning, rather than waiting until something went wrong and having to get someone in to fix it.’

‘Ian has been absolutely fantastic and we got on right from the beginning. He has been in business himself and has been successful so he understands what we’re going through and what the various pitfalls are. It was also good to have someone with an entirely fresh perspective looking at our company and brainstorming with us. He contributed thoughts and ideas that we wouldn’t necessarily have come up with and gave us pointers to keep us heading in the right direction.’

Trevor has a background in food, having been a butcher and a food importer in the past. However, running a chip shop was an entirely new challenge for both him and Tina. The previous owner stayed with him for two weeks following the sale of the business, to take him through how everything worked but after that he was on his own. It was then his responsibility to share his new found knowledge with Tina, who left her job teaching English to join him at The Chip Shop.

‘It was definitely a steep learning curve,’ laughs Trevor. ‘But we wouldn’t have it any other way now. We enjoy the sociable side of running a take-away shop and hearing the feedback from happy customers. It’s what keeps us going.’

Trevor and Tina are determined not to stand still and have big plans for the little fish and chip shop.

‘We have a solid base of regular customers who come from all over Auckland for our fish and chips but that doesn’t mean we’ll get complacent says Trevor. ‘Every time we achieve a goal, we are looking at what we can do next. Everything can be tweaked and improved, whether it is service or the menu. There is so much competition around nowadays that you have to keep adapting. Otherwise, you will lose profits, business value and you will be letting your customers down.’

Following their own positive experience with Business Mentors, Tina and Trevor are happy to recommend the service to other owners of small or start-up companies.

‘Having a mentor on board has been extremely valuable,’ says Trevor. ‘Simply having someone listening to us and challenging us on certain points gave us the confidence that we were going about things properly. It was also extremely useful to have access to someone with such a broad set of skills, who we could ask questions and discuss things with. We wanted to make sure we were starting out in the best way that we could and Business Mentors certainly helped us with that.’

Featured in NZBusiness magazine - July 2010

... mentoring can reunite families that are being torn apart by the demise of their small business and it can help save and create jobs that others in the region are depending on. Helping one company along can also have a positive knock on effect throughout the entire local community, as the economy is improved and the business is put in a better position to assist others.

One thing that differentiates Business Mentors’ client, Browns Bay Palmers Garden Centre, from many other businesses in the area is the close and mutually beneficial relationship they are building with the surrounding neighbourhood, with the help and encouragement of their business mentor Lynn Taylor.

‘One of the initiatives that we have introduced since Lynn came on board has been planting some community allotments at the back of the store,’ explains joint owner, Deane Butt. ‘We have teamed up with the Salvation Army to teach local families how to grow their own food, something which will help them save money and eat healthier. Only the other week we had five families out there planting winter vegetables such as spinach and silver beet. They can plant whatever they want to eat, there are no restrictions. We are now working on making the allotments sustainable and recently brought in some chickens.

‘It feels really good to be able to contribute to our community and to meet a genuine need,’ adds Deane. ‘We want people to feel like we are more than a faceless business and that they can come and talk with us. We are committed to helping our local area and have our mentor Lynn to thank for planting the idea. It has even inspired me to plant my own vegetable plot!’

Having a mentor on board also saved a family on the verge of losing their livelihood. Husband and wife team, Deanne and Roger Butt, had become so disheartened with the lack of growth that they had actually attempted to sell the garden centre. Thankfully, their mentor stepped in and pointed them in the right direction, saving the source of the couple’s income and meaning Browns Bay didn’t lose a valuable resource.

Of course, the rise of an individual company doesn’t just benefit the business owners or investors. It is also good news for existing employees and people looking for work. The Costume Studio is one company that has given a number of people in their area valuable employment.

‘At the beginning, it was just me and another part time employee,’ explains Denise. ‘However, after seven months, I had twelve staff and a stack load of work coming in. I actually came across an unexpected problem as I was having trouble keeping up with the rapid growth of the company. However, my mentors Jerome Carrigan and sales and marketing mentor Debra Van Wyk have helped me manage this more effectively.

‘I’m glad that I have been able to give work to people in the local community. We’re a great team and I would like to think that we all look forward to coming into the office each day.’ On top of assisting local communities, many people don’t realise that providing a single company with mentoring support can have a significant impact on other businesses, families and employees throughout the country. For example, having a Business Mentors export mentor on board has helped Dr Wendy Maddocks-Jennings, founder and owner of Dr. Wendy’s ®100% Botanical Skin Care, realise her dreams of expansion and has provided more work for her suppliers at a time when employment figures are dismal and the economic downturn is squeezing the pocket of many a family.

‘These are exciting times and I’m so proud of our success in three highly competitive offshore markets. This has a positive effect not only for our business but also the New Zealand growers and businesses we source many of our raw ingredients from. Like us they are also small enterprises and this will have a positive knock on effect,’ smiles Wendy.

It is important to point out that it isn’t just New Zealanders that are helped by the business mentoring programme. Mentors are regularly asked to sit down with would-be entrepreneurs who have emigrated from overseas and want to work for themselves. A range of mentors, from a variety of countries and cultural backgrounds and with a diverse selection of skills are on hand at all times to help immigrants understand how to run a healthy, prosperous business in New Zealand.

Cecelia Robinson, from Sweden, is one immigrant who has used the mentoring programme to help her make a living in New Zealand. At just 21 years of age, Celia founded Au Pair Link, an agency which matches qualified au pairs with families. Her passion for the au pair industry started when she worked as an au pair in the United States. When she moved to New Zealand, Cecilia noticed that many Kiwis were unaware that au pairs were an option. On top of that, there were hardly any professional agencies in the country organising the matches. Celia accredits much of her success to having had a Business Mentor by her side.

As increasing number of stories come in from happy clients and mentors, it becomes more and more apparent that business mentoring is not just about helping one company clamber up the success ladder. No individual business operates in isolation. The achievements of one benefit the local economy and the health of the New Zealand economy as a whole. When mentoring helps a business along, the employees and suppliers receive stability and reassurance, and new people are brought on board as the company expands. Then there is the fact that the families and individuals personally attached to the business are able to live happier, more relaxed lives, knowing that the company putting food on their table is in good shape and will provide for them for a long time to come. It is clear that the effects of business mentoring are multiple and long-reaching and a tool that should never be underestimated.

changed when Jonathan moved to New Zealand permanently in search of a better work-life balance.

In October 2008, he set up Interview Skills Ltd and with the help of Business Mentors New Zealand is now at the helm of an increasingly successful company.

For Jonathan, setting up and running a business has come with an interesting set of challenges and a steep learning curve. ‘I have plenty of knowledge and expertise when it comes to training, interviewing and conversation management,’ explains Jonathan. ‘However, prior to establishing Interview Skills Ltd, I had never owned my own company before so I was missing some important business skills when I started out.

‘A friend suggested that I look into Business Mentors, through Enterprise North Shore so I gave them a ring and asked if I could get some support right away.’

Jonathan was thrilled to be paired up with Neil Aston, a local business mentor who he clicked with from the beginning. ‘Neil’s guidance has been absolutely invaluable,’ smiles Jonathan. ‘He helped me put together a structured business and marketing plan and start making informed decisions about taking the company forward.'

‘Having a critical eye from the outside has been fantastic. My approach has been to be as open as possible and to learn as much as I can. I don’t understand people that don’t have a mentor. It grants you a priceless opportunity to network and upskill.’

The idea for Interview Skills Ltd first came about when Jonathan moved to New Zealand in 2006 and started working for the police force. He immediately saw an opportunity for interview training, and this thought remained on his mind as he returned to the Greater Manchester Police in the UK to work as an Advanced Specialist Interviewer and a qualified trainer in the field of Interviewing.

Eventually, Jonathan was drawn back to the more relaxed New Zealand lifestyle and he returned in 2008 to work for a training organisation. During this time, Jonathan was asked to give a presentation on interviewing skills at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance Conference.

The huge amount of positive feedback he received afterwards convinced him that there was a demand for his kind of expertise. Jonathan took a leap of faith and set up Interview Skills Ltd, a company that offers interview and conversation management training on both a private and corporate level.

Jonathan is optimistic about the future of Interview Skills Ltd. The fact that he owns a unique business- New Zealand’s only established independent company supplying interview and conversation management training- means that Jonathan has not been unduly affected by the recession.

‘I’m at the stage now where, after a lot of hard work and knocking on doors, I am starting to see results,’ says Jonathan. ‘I’m already working with some big players, in the insurance market for example. I have also been meeting with many of New Zealand’s leading professional organisations as I feel I could make a positive difference to many of the member companies on their lists.’

Jonathan is adamant that it is possible for any individual to go out and establish a thriving business: ‘My dad always said that if you are passionate and apply yourself then you will get there in the end,’ he smiles. ‘There will be good days and bad days but working hard and making sure you are surrounded by people that support you, like the guys at Business Mentors, will take you one step closer to fulfilling your ambitions.’

Business Mentors New Zealand was established in 1991. It is funded largely by patrons from the private sector, with additional support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. It provides a mentoring service to businesses that have been operating for at least six months and is the owner’s main source of income. A registration fee of $100 + GST applies, which entitles you to use the mentoring service for two years. This is the only cost to you – the mentoring you receive is free!

This story featured in the October 2009 issue of NZBusiness magazine.