About Mentor Services

About Business Partners Mentorship Services

Business Partners Mentorship Services, a division of Business Partners Ltd, harnesses the business expertise, skills and wisdom of senior business and professional people – often retired executives, making their services available to entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises in South Africa.

Mentors

The mentors participating in the Business Partners Mentors program are carefully selected individuals who have proved themselves successful in their business and careers, and who support the endeavours of Business Partners Mentorship Services to provide a service of high standards and quality.

These mentors are prepared to make time available to assist entrepreneurs to improve the efficiency, profitability and growth of their businesses

All mentors subscribe to Business Partners Mentors' code of ethics which will ensure that the principles of integrity, good faith, confidentiality, impartiality, incorruptibility, accountability and professional conduct, will be adhered to.

Services offered

This added value service is available in all provinces and is supported by Business Partners’ national infrastructure and computerised database. Business counselling is a proven practice, worldwide, whereby business problems are diagnosed, expertise shared, solutions sought and guidance given. Mentors provide on-going counselling and support, based on experience, knowledge, skills and wisdom.

Counselling

The mentor fulfils the role of a business counsellor to the entrepreneur, which implies that the full spectrum of functions of managing a business will be covered, depending on the nature and size of the business and the expertise of the mentor. Apart from advising on and assisting with basic and practical functions of management, the mentor will be involved in problem diagnosis, investigations, formulating solutions, recommendations, appropriate actions, coaching, implementation and follow-up.

Specialised assistance

Mentors may be required to provide specialised assistance with specific management functions and areas such as budgets, administration, credit control, cash flow, information systems, marketing, human resources, production, and other business activities such as expansion, construction, installing a new plant or an accounting system where specialised expertise which is not internally available, is needed for a short period of time.

Business Partners Mentor Services will as far as possible, try to match the mentor with the appropriate expertise and skills to the needs of the particular business.

Sectoral assistance

Mentors with specific knowledge of businesses may be required for sectoral assistance — for example, to assist a specific type of business such as a restaurant, hotel, bakery, butchery, supermarket, garage, or businesses in security, manufacturing, trading or services.

Again, in cases like these, Business Partners Mentor Services will assign the right mentor with the proven experience and skills, to assist.

Turnarounds

Mentors may be required to get involved in businesses in financial trouble, to assist in turning these businesses around to profitability.

This would obviously be short to medium term intensive involvements which would require out of the ordinary arrangements with all parties concerned.