Your pathway to business success begins here.
We know that owning or managing a business can be difficult, with a wide range of challenges to navigate. Ensuring you have the right skills, tools and competencies to develop your business is a critical process.
MentorsWork is here to support you, where it matters most.
MentorsWork 12-week business-support programme provides targeted supports to help SMEs across Ireland sustain and improve their business.
MentorsWork is brought to you by SFA in partnership with Skillnet Ireland, Ibec, SBCI and Microfinance Ireland
Supporting You
The MentorsWork programme is designed to provide you with the skills and supports to help your business thrive, by addressing the specific needs of your business. You choose the priority areas for your business and we tailor the programme to suit your needs.
MentorsWork is a structured 12-week business-support programme, comprising an integrated approach of mentoring and targeted learning opportunities. The programme includes:
– In-depth Online Competency Assessment
– One-to-One Mentoring Sessions
– Unlimited access to Peer-Focused Workshops
– Unlimited access to Expert-Led Masterclasses
During the application process, you will select the areas you want to tackle from a range of options. Based on your selections, we will assign you an experienced mentor who will work with you on a one-to-one basis throughout the 12 weeks.
Your mentor will:
– Provide bespoke guidance, advice and mentorship for your business
– Help you review your Competence Assessment results and create actionable insights
– Work with you to create a bespoke business improvement plan to guide you through the next 6 months
– Help you to select relevant and beneficial workshops and masterclasses from a range of options grouped under our four thematic pillars:
People
This pillar covers aspects relating to you and your team including driving team performance, optimising remote working solutions, supporting team well-being and leading your team.
Finance & Growth
This pillar covers aspects relating to growth and managing the finance of your business and includes gaining new clients and business, accessing financial supports, building and executing new sales models and identifying new business opportunities.
Digital & Automation
This pillar covers aspects relating to internal and external digital transformation of your business and includes moving your business online, marketing your business, building online communities, and automating day to day tasks.
Business Processes
This pillar covers aspects relating to your processes and efficiencies and includes creating a lean business model, implementing improved business processes, preparing a business continuity plan and performing business risk assessments.
Eligibility Criteria
MentorsWork is a mentoring and learning initiative designed for SME owner-managers and leadership teams across all industries in Ireland.
Private sector businesses based in Ireland with between 1 and 250 employees are eligible to participate in MentorsWork.
Certain businesses are not eligible to participate in MentorsWork:
- Private sector businesses with over 250 employees
- Public sector organisations
- Charity or not-for-profit organisations
- Businesses based outside the Republic of Ireland
MentorsWork is supported by Skillnet Ireland. Skillnet Ireland is mandated to support private sector enterprise.
Programme Benefits
Structured Support
Your dedicated industry-specific mentor will support you through the programme.
Expert Guidance
Access a range of expert-led workshops & masterclasses specific to your business needs.
Actionable Insights
Develop a bespoke Business Improvement Plan with support from your mentor, to implement following the programme.
Online Learning
Bespoke curated learning.
Identify Your Strengths
Discover opportunities for personal & business improvement using the Competency Assessment tool.
Shared Learning
Peer-to-peer workshop approach stimulates greater levels of innovation and knowledge sharing.
What Participants Say
“The main challenge in running a business is having a fresh outlook or expertise to draw on from outside the business. MentorsWork helped us determine what to prioritise and how to eliminate things that may not require a focus straight away.”
Managing Director,
Dualtron
“Mentorswork connects you with a highly experienced individual who can share insights in business strategies and organisational change programmes, for example. Getting access to expertise from outside the business and at a very high-level value is really beneficial.”
Managing Partner,
Yala.ie
“MentorsWork has helped opened my eyes to other elements of the role and encouraged me to bring different ideas to the business. Having the support of a really established mentor who is engaging, keen to understand the challenges and help us work through plans around those specific obstacles, was invaluable.”
Marketing Manager,
Hibernian Hotel Mallow
Programme Structure
MentorsWork aims to help you improve productivity within your business through a range of integrated learning supports:
- In-depth Online Competency Assessment
- 3x One-to-One Mentoring Sessions
- Unlimited Access to Peer-Focused Workshops
- Unlimited Access to Expert-Led Masterclasses
In order to get real and impactful results, you will have to commit to a minimum of 24 hours spread across the 12-weeks of the programme – an average of just 2 hours per week. This 24 hours will be an investment into your future and ensure you optimise your business potential both now and in the longer term.
During the application process, you will be asked to select up to three key business competencies that you would like to focus on. If your application to the programme is approved, your selection will allow us to:
- Assign you a Dedicated, Sector-Specific Mentor
- Inform Your Choice of Masterclasses and Workshops
In addition, you will work with your mentor for the duration of the programme to produce a bespoke Business Improvement Plan. This plan will provide the roadmap for your business to navigate the 6 months following completion of the programme.
Competency Assessment
Identify the competencies impacting your business
Take the opportunity to self-assess against a range of competencies identified as drivers of business productivity. Understand your strengths and how to optimise them, and identify gaps which may be hindering your ability to achieve the full potential of your business. Your personalised report can be shared with your mentor who will help you to identify the programme supports that will best help you develop you and your business’s productivity.
One-to-One Mentoring
Online sessions with a dedicated sector-specific mentor
Over three online mentoring sessions, your assigned sector-specific mentor will provide support and expert guidance throughout the programme. They will offer you tailored advice and practical recommendations relevant to the needs of your business, taking inputs from the challenges you selected on your application form and your competence assessment results. Throughout the sessions, they will help you formulate a bespoke Business Improvement Plan for the next 6 months.
Masterclasses
Learn best-practice from business experts
We offer a wide range of Masterclasses across our four thematic areas. Masterclasses are online sessions led by experts and thought leaders who specialise in their area and have worked in and with SMEs across Ireland at a practical level. Each masterclass will bring industry best practice insights as well as practical advice and guidance to help you improve your business strategy and approach. You may select as many masterclasses as you wish, in areas of interest to you throughout your MentorsWork journey.
Workshops
Access to trainer-led peer-focused workshops
Our Workshops are small, interactive, peer-focused online sessions in a range of topics across our four thematic areas. Workshops are facilitated by experts who specialise in their area and have worked in and with SMEs across Ireland at a practical level. Each workshop is designed to be highly participative, ensuring you take away key practical learnings that can be immediately deployed back in your business. You may select as many workshops as you wish, in areas of interest to you throughout your MentorsWork journey.
Research
Access to research reports from the MentorsWork team
You can access a number of research reports from the team at MentorsWork on SME productivity, created from analysing 1,000+ small and medium-sized businesses that have gone through the MentorsWork programme. Our current reports cover the following: - Finance and Growth Skills of Small and Medium Enterprise in Ireland - People and Leadership Skills of Small and Medium Enterprise in Ireland - Digital and Automation Skills of Small and Medium Enterprise in Ireland
Business Improvement Plan
Bespoke plan to navigate the next 6 months
Over the 12-week programme, your mentor will help you devise a 6-month strategic Business Improvement Plan. This plan will be your stepping stone into a sustained model of continuous business improvement, allowing you to continue the progress you made on the MentorsWork programme.
The 6-month Business Improvement Plan will ensure that implementing industry best practice becomes the norm for you and your business.
How Do I Apply?
Once you hit the ‘Apply Now’ button below you will begin your application process:
- Search for your company using your CRO number via our company search tool. If you don’t happen to have your CRO to hand, there is an option to manually complete the company details form.
- Complete the application process by entering your personal details and select the business challenges that you feel are most pressing to you right now.
Click the apply button below now to begin your MentorsWork journey.
