Evidence and our experience tells the story that every business, charity and social enterprise in Dorset has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in some way. We have been supporting many to navigate through the challenges. While in most businesses this has been a period of significant business disruption, others have kept their heads above water or even benefitted due to their positioning or discovery of new markets. Wherever you and your business find yourself in what continues to be a fluid and fast changing situation, we have experienced business leaders as mentors who can help you through this next phase of uncertainty - to optimise recovery and resilient growth.

“Our mission is to underpin your resilience and help you succeed”

As you can read in our ‘Insights’ section of the website, we are able to help with all aspects of business resilience and recovery. Our mentors are highly experienced business leaders and entrepreneurs who are committed to helping you and your businesses to survive and thrive.  

“Being agile and able to quickly capitalise on opportunities has never been more important”

Our mentors will help you assess your current priorities (including financial, staff, supply, turnover and operational). You will be supported to review the changing market as restrictions change. Being agile, and able to quickly capitalise on opportunities, has never been more important. We can help you carefully assess your options, and then rapidly turn these into robust plans that will help you to stabilise your finances, to secure your future and to look forward to renewed growth as the impact of the pandemic recedes.

“Look forward to growth as the impact of the pandemic recedes”

We know that we can provide you, or senior managers, with a mentor who is an invaluable, impartial and experienced sounding board for your decisions, and who will support your well-being during this time when individuals have felt a lot of pressure over an extended period. It is a great combination of expert help from a friendly face.

Why are Dorset Business Mentors best placed to help you?

We are an acknowledged centre of excellence, having delivered proven, high quality business support to local micro, small and medium sized businesses since 2005. We offer business owners confidential mentoring and ongoing personal support delivered by a team of over 130 highly experienced, volunteer business professionals with a strong reputation for working with small businesses. Our service combines funding and the voluntary status of mentors to deliver a subsidised service which is affordable to even the smallest business.

Why is this the right time for a business review?

The fortnightly Office for National Statistics at 18th June, 2020, showed between 65-68% of business in the UK reported a decrease in turnover outside the normal range.   This followed a Business West survey in April 2020 highlighting the vulnerability of small businesses if lock-down were to continue across the summer months and repeat over the winter. We’ve seen that many of you have secured government grants, payments and loans to keep the wolf from the door. Others have reserves and savings that have seen you through so far. We are now looking at rapidly changing national and local restrictions, and while news of a vaccine offers optimism it isn’t yet a reality which allows us to relax vigilance over our businesses.

Whatever your situation now, it is an ideal time to be supported to review and improve your strategy and operations not just in the short term, but the mid to long term to improve resilience, sustainability and growth. Wherever your business is on the spectrum, the Dorset Business Mentors programme is positioned to help.  Whatever your challenges we can match you with a mentor with the experience to benefit and help you through this time.

Business Resilience Team

Your online application for a mentor will result in our responding for a confidential discussion about your current situation. Then, if we think our program is the right fit for you, you will get a swift response and be matched with your mentor as soon as possible.

The service is responding to any national and local restrictions as they arise, and is being delivered by phone or web link (Zoom or other online facility as agreed between you and your mentor) on a one-to-one basis. As restrictions roll back Mentors who are not isolating for health reasons look forward to conducting meetings face to face. Mentoring will be highly focused on your individual circumstances and needs. We have a long and successful track record of matching the right mentor from our pool of experts, please just take a look at the case studies page.  

Dorset Business Mentors has scaled-up its operation to meet the current demand for support. It is working closely with other business support services, including: Dorset Growth Hub, BCP Council, Dorset Council and Dorset Gateway.

Please click the link below to read details of the structured support that each mentor will work through and adapt individually.

5 Point Structured Support

There are five themes to the structured support we provide - and we will adjust them to meet your specific needs:  

1. Situation Analysis

Objective: to understand your business’s situation as it is NOW.

You may have business colleagues, friends or family members who you talk to, but they may not be impartial, dispassionate or able to stand back from the detail. Our mentors provide calm, independent, logical and reassuring support to help you stand back from day-to-day pressures, and undertake a thorough, but focussed, assessment of issues and priorities.

We will probably encourage you to look at your business in the round and assess the risks: customer demand, suppliers, status of debtors and creditors, staff, business assets, as well as cash flow position.

2. Signposting

Objective: to ensure mentored clients understand the help available and where to go for it

By now, many people have accessed whatever Government support has been made available. However, offers may still change or be extended, and, where appropriate, your mentor will offer guidance on further access and refer you to partner services (e.g. Council, Dorset Growth Hub, Dorset Gateway)

3. Navigating the present

Objective: To develop the best strategic response

Things are changing fast as lockdown measures change, but conversations will likely include:

Financial: the ongoing cash position and viability of the business, and in this context forecasting for the year ahead, managing costs, business assets and the potential to release capital, debtors/creditors, loans/grants, banks.

Commercial: opportunities in the downturn/ encouraging creative thinking, keeping orders and sales moving, keeping in touch with customers, supplier challenges.

People: retentions and redundancies as furlough schemes reduced, making the workplace safe and legal, compliance, continuing short term working wage strategies.

Management: working from home challenges, how to keep the workforce engaged and productive, effective remote working, encouraging returns to the workplace, reviewing permanent changes to working system.       

Contingency planning: business continuity, plans in the event of further restrictions.

4. Planning for recovery

Objective: Ensure the business is positioned to recalibrate and recover as a more ‘normal’ business landscape resumes.

Strategy discussions to ensure a plan is in place to maximise opportunity as the economic brakes are released. Timely and relevant customer marketing and communication. Service/product offers and pricing to rebuild sales volumes. Preparing resources and investment. Assessing expected demand and exploitation. Where businesses have experience a surge in demand, advance planning for a potential recalibration.

5. Well-being

Objective: To support the well-being of business leaders under pressure due to the Coronavirus and Brexit planning.

We know that you’ll have experienced a lot of pressure and unprecedented personal demands in recent months, and this is not going to change for the immediate future. People respond to stress in many different ways, and your mentor may help you feel someone is there to share and understand your problems, including how the business may be affecting your personal well-being.

Terms of Service 

• All requests for service are to be submitted via the application form on this page. General enquiries should be addressed to: office@dormen.org.uk or by phone to our team on: 01305 221 268.

• Any business owner taking up the service should sign our standard ‘Service Agreement’ which includes topics such as confidentiality. This will be provided by the Program Managers.

• This is not an advisory service, business owners will receive guidance and support. Mentoring helps business owners develop priorities and build robust plans and solutions.

• Mentors of current/existing clients can consult the team or link their business to any other member of the team if they require additional specialist help.

• The service will be delivered via live web-link or phone, to follow the Government’s social distancing. We will review in line with Government updates.