Mentor Insight No. 3 - Mark Hudson

This is the third in our series shining a spotlight on the high level and scope of expertise among our 130 business leader volunteer mentors. Our programme is incomparable in the UK for its ability to match that expertise to the particular needs of each of our mentees.

Mark Hudson has been a Dorset Business Mentor since 2015 and joined the Dorset Growth Hub Investment Panel in 2017. Mark read Economics at Cambridge University (1972-5) and had three overlapping “careers”, working with British, German and US-based organisations over 40 years: International Banking, Consulting and Capacity Building in various industries.   He has also been involved in Executive Education, including an association with London Business School.

Mark Hudson - Dorset Business Mentor

From the start of our special Covid-19 offering, we anticipated (and continue to receive) a big increase in demand for our services. We therefore gave Mark the job of interviewing all prospective mentees in order to streamline the process of assigning a permanent mentor with the most beneficial skills and expertise. He reports that he often receives quite similar questions about our mentoring and we thought it might be useful to summarise these in an interview with him:

Question 1: I really would like to have an ongoing conversation about my business – can I include just about any topic at any time?

Answer: Yes. Nothing is really off limits – we aim, as a minimum, to be a “sounding board” for your questions, ideas, concerns etc, as they arise. It’s your show, so you set the agenda. We obviously may make suggestions about issues to develop in more detail, and we definitely don’t set homework (unless you insist!).

Question 2: I’ve heard that you aim to be an independent party for me to talk to – what does that mean?

Answer: Our mentors don’t have an economic interest in your business (indeed, our rules forbid it), so we are separate from colleagues, investors – family even. Our interest is solely in helping you succeed.

Question 3: How do you decide which DORMEN mentor to assign to me?

Answer: It’s based on a number of considerations – the business areas that you agree with us are a priority (so we can offer a mentor with the appropriate skills and experience), but also where we see a good fit in terms of personalities, “view of the world” etc. If your priorities change, we have a big community, so can very amicably change mentors or even double team, with you having more than one. Obviously without any extra charge!  

Question 4: How often should I expect to meet my mentor?

Answer: It’s really up to you. We often say every 3 – 4 weeks, although this could be more frequent at the start.

Question 5:  Do I need a business plan to begin the relationship?

Answer: No, but your ideas on where you want to get to and how soon – also perhaps why you got into business in the first place – are very useful. Once we’ve looked at those, and you’re satisfied your assumptions are both realistic and complete, we may suggest putting some numbers on this plan.

Question 6: I’ve heard a lot about “business models” – sounds a bit technical – is this something I could expect to discuss with my mentor?

Answer: Definitely. As with business plans, you can be as technical (or not) as you wish. We would encourage thinking carefully about the business model, meaning asking the “who, what and how” questions about your business. Who do I really want as my customers? What do I aim to offer them? How do I do it?

Question 7: Sounds like possibly a lot of information. How much should I expect to provide?

Answer: It’s your call and, while we won’t insist, we’ll say what we think might be needed. Whatever you provide will obviously be kept in strictest confidence, according to our Mentoring Agreement.

Question 8: One of my biggest challenges is decision making – can my mentor help me with this?

Answer: Yes, he/she can, and while all decisions are ultimately yours, we will assist with placing decisions in some kind of framework and process. This aims to clarify the issues and increase your confidence. As has been said by more than one mentee, mentoring can help to ensure “no more (or at least fewer) random decisions”.

Question 9: How does a mentoring relationship fit with possibly using other professional support – e.g. business advisors, consultants etc.?   

Answer: In fact it fits quite well. We see ourselves as complementing the work of other specialists, partly because we are different – we work with the business owner rather than on the business as an abstract entity. We are also not prescriptive – we don’t use a ‘manual’ or playbook as such, and don’t write reports and recommendations, but we do help and guide you to reach your own conclusions. And we can often fill the inevitable gaps in advice between that available from the professions. We also cost a lot less!

Question 10: And finally, As a business owner, would it be possible to arrange mentoring for other colleagues, either jointly with, or separately from me?

Answer: Yes, this is certainly possible and, if just for another colleague, we would call that "role mentoring", with a few extra considerations applying that we would discuss with you.