WHY BECOME A VOLUNTARY MENTOR?
The MicroLab Association has been helping young people, micro-entrepreneurs and people in difficult situations who want to start a business in Italy since 2003. This is done through its national network of Voluntary Mentors: professionals who help aspiring entrepreneurs start their own business.
MicroLab Voluntary Mentors aim to help young people, micro-entrepreneurs and less fortunate segments of the population start their own business and create their own job as a self-employed person.
The Mentor supports, assists and encourages the mentee, exploring new business opportunities together, assessing potential for growth, to help them reach the goals they’ve set. This is done by creating trust between the Mentor, an expert who makes their time and know-how available for free, and the Mentee, a person who wants to put themselves to the test and become self-employed, but doesn’t have the skills and experience necessary to do so successfully yet.
According to Guido, one of our most famous voluntary Mentors, the main reasons for collaborating with the MicroLab Association that give him the greatest satisfaction, are:
- being able to use ones business skills to the full to help people in difficulty
- becoming part of a national network of qualified Mentors
- working in a dynamic environment, rich in entrepreneurial qualities
- collaborating with a team of motivated young people
- being able to pass on one’s knowledge to the new generation
- hearing and sharing tales from many walks of life (from a kebab takeaway to a beauty farm, a craftsman, a street trader) making the most of experience gained over the years
Our Mentors
MicroLab Association Mentors have the following characteristics:
- company management skills
- they know how to use accounting and planning tools (Cash Flow, Income Statement, Budget)
- ability to monitor and assess economic activities
- company management/administration/consulting experience
- communication, listening and speaking skills
- the ability to operate in a variety of business contexts
- a natural bent for teaching and training
ACTIVITIES
MicroLab Voluntary Mentors perform the following mentoring activities:
Mentoring for business start-up:
- studying the business idea
- support when preparing a Business Plan
Mentoring after business start-up:
- checking company progress
- analysis of any deviation from the initial Business Plan
- establishing corrective actions and setting new goals
Mentors are asked to agree to a minimum availability of 8 hours/month in which they dedicate their time to Mentoring. The mentoring is done in regular sessions with entrepreneurs.
Mentors can also provide business training for young people under 35 or students before they leave secondary school as part of the Up to Youth and Transition from School to Work projects.
