Bradford's business mentors offer strong support

The Kickstart Mentoring Project is well on target  to set up over 60 mentoring relationships and is now looking to expand the numbers of mentors and mentees taking part.

It is the willingness of the mentors to share their management ability and experience that makes the scheme successful. They are asked to meet their mentee at least six times over a 12 month period, though some meet monthly.

A few of the mentors have run local businesses for up to 30 years, while others are senior managers in major companies in the District. Their collective skills and experience would cost a small fortune in consultancy fees. Yet they offer them voluntarily to help pre-start, new and established businesses to succeed.

“It’s a remarkable project which is a credit to the mentors,” says Councillor Adrian Naylor, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration and Economy. “New and young businesses can learn a great deal from experienced mentors, especially in today’s challenging trading conditions.”

The Kickstart-funded project is run from the offices of Bradford Chamber by Mike Whitehouse, who with Anthony Waddington also administers the successful Be Involved project. This encourages local businesses to build positive relationships with the neighbourhoods and communities in which they are located.

Alex and Amy Eden, the husband and wife team behind the development of Factory Street Studios in Dudley Hill, Bradford, were able to consult their mentor Richard Wilson about every aspect of setting up and running their business. Renowned as a music teacher, Richard runs RAW Studios, in Halifax.

“The mentoring scheme in Bradford is amazing,” says Richard. “It gives people starting out in business access to people who have already set up a similar business, so they can learn what to do and, just as importantly, what not to do. Mentoring takes up a lot of time but it’s great to have some input and to see a new business grow and succeed.”

Says Alex: “Because we are both musicians and understand the music business we talk the same language, so it’s been really helpful to seek Richard’s views on the concept of the music hub as we have been developing it.”

Lynne Ingham launched her weight loss business, ‘All About W8,’ in Keighley last summer and now has a growing number of clients delighted not to be growing at all! “I certainly feel stretched and challenged and I’m having loads of fun shaping my own future,” she says.

Lynne’s mentor, Carol Buchan, runs Yorkshire Business Services in Ilkley. According to Lynne “she’s been there, seen it, done it and got the T-shirt. If she doesn’t know the answer, she knows someone who does.”

“One of the most beneficial things Carol said to me was ‘you’re not doing enough.’ At the time it was like a slap across the face – I’d certainly never received criticism like that working at a senior level in the Civil Service. I wasn’t happy - but it got me thinking.

“If an independent, very experienced self-employed person was telling me that I wasn’t doing enough, then perhaps there was some truth in that. Within a week my whole focus had changed and now I can honestly say that it’s the most useful feedback I’ve ever received.” 

When Suzanne Smith’s dad retired from the family engineering business, Henry Lewis and Sons located in Bradford’s Bolling Road Industrial Estate, she made what many believed was a brave decision. She took over as the boss.

“I worked in the company – we manufacture security shutters and grilles – so knew our product range as well as anyone. But I had never run a business so decided that if I was going to be the Managing Director I needed some sound advice,” says Suzanne.

Mike Whitehouse put her in contact with Martin Fisher, co-founder of Bradford creative and marketing agency ‘This is Chemistry,’ based in Little Germany. “Martin’s been great,” says Suzanne. “He has helped me to focus on what really matters in running and growing the business; his guidance has been invaluable.”

“For me,” says Martin, “mentoring is an opportunity to share our knowledge, skills and contacts in a highly focused and practical sense. We can really get under the skin of a business. Being a sounding board and offering impartial comment is one thing but producing tangible results to support the development of a business is highly gratifying.”

Martin’s colleague Ray Mason, Head of Client Services at the agency, also mentors a Kickstart client, Bradford photographer Dave Cropper, so the team at ‘This is Chemistry’ are certainly doing their bit to help the mentoring programme.

The final word goes to Lynne Ingham: “For anyone who isn’t happy at work there is always an alternative. Do something different; follow your dream. And when you do, get yourself a mentor through Bradford Kickstart