X-FORCES CELEBRATES NATIONAL MENTORING DAY

Last week X-Forces joined Lord Young of Graffham and Chelsey Baker, founder of National Mentoring Day at the House of Lords to celebrate the inspiring relationships between Mentors and Mentees in the UK.

The evening highlighted the value to individuals, businesses and the UK economy of Mentoring. Reflecting this, X-Forces were represented by our Mentoring team and some of our inspiring Mentees, Mark Taylor (Hero Handyman) and Louis Nethercott (ExpeditionFive). X-Forces were also joined by key Charity, Government and Corporate Partners that support our mentoring initiatives for beneficiaires across the United Kingdom.

Ren Kapur, Lord Young of Graffham and Louis Nethercott

Founded by Chelsea Baker, National Mentoring Day was launched to celebrate mentoring in all its forms, recognise the great work mentors do and the significant impact mentoring can have. In attendance were representatives of professional mentoring organisations, mentors and other key supporters, all with positive words to share on the benefits of mentoring and encouragement for the work mentors do in the UK to support individuals and their businesses.

Working with service leavers and their families, X-Forces make mentoring a high priority for our start-ups to provide guidance and insight when dealing with the difficult decisions that every business encounters. When starting a new business, studies have shown that mentoring is often just as important as financial backing in securing your business’s future.

“Research has shown that 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs.” Federation of Small Business

The importance of having a trusted mentor in business cannot be underestimated and can be just as rewarding an experience for a mentor in understanding the finer points of business from a start-up’s perspective. As well as being hugely satisfying for the mentor, mentoring provides a great opportunity for a mentor to make a real difference to the success of others by passing on knowledge and effecting positive outcomes in their mentee. National Mentoring Day celebrates the relationship of mentor and mentee, encouraging others to become a part of the mentoring process as well as promoting the huge benefits for both parties.

Mark Taylor spoke to guests about his Mentoring experiences with Chelsey Baker (Right)

The benefits to a mentee can range from added insight or a fresh perspective to accelerated progress and confidence. With more and more start-ups launching every day the need for mentors grows and days like National Mentoring Day are great opportunities, both to praise the vital role mentors play and to encourage others to take up mentoring.

“Of those with a mentor 97% say they are valuable, 55% believe mentoring can help them succeed, 60% look for experience in a mentor above anything else, but 85% currently do not have a mentor.” Source: Sage.com

In just 3 years X-Forces has helped mentor over 700 business start-ups on their road to self-employment and is proud to celebrate National Mentoring Day and the hard work of its business mentors.

To find out more about National Mentoring Day you can visit their website at: http://nationalmentoringday.org/