What is the Greater Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme?
The Greater Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme is run by the University of Lincoln and the Business Lincolnshire Sustainable Growth Programme to give business owners and leaders across the county access to support from mentors with extensive experience.
The programme is open to eligible business owners across any sector and offers a series of one-to-one mentoring meetings and peer support sessions.
Kixx Lincoln, a local franchise of Kixx owned by Daniel Hone, is the latest business to have benefitted from the Greater Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme’s guidance.
Kixx is an innovative football programme which introduces physical activity to young children aged between 18 months and 10 years old, helping them to develop physical and social skills while simultaneously promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Daniel explains why joining the programme was the perfect next step to grow his business. He explains that it helped him to:
Find focus and direction for the business
“I discovered the programme through the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub who helped me initially get started on my journey to create Active Arena.”
Get help and advice with difficult business decisions
“I decided to join as I had a dream and vision that was a big undertaking. I had the belief, and I knew it would work, but I didn’t know where to start and I knew I was taking a big risk. I needed advice from someone further down the business line than me that could give me a push, and the knowledge and support to help me make my business idea a reality.”
Set goals and achieve them with a mentor at your side
“I set a goal with my mentor to build a business that could be scaled through its infrastructure, whether that be through franchising or me taking on a second building myself. This original goal quickly turned into prioritising how to survive the pandemic while still building a robust business for the future.
“The programme has helped me to achieve my goals by giving me the support and guidance I needed at the right time. My mentor’s support was vital during the tough times, giving me the nod to say keep going, making sure I knew I was doing OK and challenging my decisions when it was needed.
“I was breaking new ground and sometimes I didn’t know whether I was making the right decisions. All I had was my gut feeling and my mentor’s experience and that was invaluable.”
Daniel explains some of the key benefits of the programme:
The mentors have vast experience in business and leadership
“Sue Liburd was my mentor and I am truly grateful for her support as she has achieved incredible things in her career and is someone I admire. Just having her in your corner lifts you up and gives you the confidence to conquer anything.
“Sue was invested in my progress, not just its monetary value, but she also loved what we were creating and was excited to see it develop and grow. That to me is the only encouragement I needed.”
You don’t have to dedicate any more than three hours each month
“Like anything, you have to be invested in it to get the best out of it and making time for the programme ensured I got a lot from it.
“It also forces you to be accountable for the decisions you are making. If you had a business problem, you had the support of the peer group to solve it and it encouraged you to overcome that challenge.”
Access to an extended network of like-minded business leaders
“I would 100% recommend the programme to others as it gives you access to support networks and information that you don’t already have. Business information is key, and I would urge anyone to get involved to gain the benefits of this. It can be a lonely place in business, so it was great to sit down with like-minded people and support each other.
“The programme has given me a peer network and a mentor who understands me and my business. I can call upon them to help me at any point to overcome any challenges that I may not be able to see past.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity it has given me for self-development and business development.”
If you would like to do the same for your business, mentoring will commence in March, June and October 2021. The closing dates for submissions are 28th February, 30th May and 30th September 2021.
The Greater Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme is open to scale-up businesses and the funded places will be assessed by Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub Advisors.
To find out more information or to register your interest in joining the Greater Lincolnshire Mentoring Programme, visit: https://www.businesslincolnshire.com/ or email LIBS_Exec@lincoln.ac.uk
Watch Daniel speak about his experience below: