Mentoring is Essential for Success
A study by Dunn and Bradstreet showed that more than 90 per cent of small enterprises were still in business after five years if they had help from outside experts. When you seek the advice of the seasoned advisors at ISCM, you are working with people who have "been there". The guidance provided by ISCM supported mentors help small businesses spur their growth to the next business level, at no charge to qualified companies.
The ISCM mentoring team is made up of independent senior advisors who have the proven track record, the knowledge and connections to fast-track companies to success, providing guidance in all business areas – from product branding, marketing and sales; to planning and operations. We also help companies prepare to present to financing and capital resources, and we can make the appropriate referrals to other needed professional sources, including financial, accounting and legal specialists.
ISCM advisors also act as facilitators – bringing businesses together with other groups to help our clients realize their growth potential. The team’s proven track record includes helping enterprises transition from one growth stage to another, develop export markets, commercialize products or become investor-ready.
Our Formula
ISCM’s successful mentoring formula starts with helping the client company identify its business problems and challenges: Companies are busy. Often, they don’t take the time to step back and understand the actual source of their challenges. An ISCM mentor can assist by separating the symptoms of a problem from the actual source of the problem. The ISCM mentor will also identify potential solutions that are focused and finite, preferably dealing with a specific, workable business issue.
By helping companies identify the real challenges they face, they are often able to find resolutions using their existing resources: ISCM advisors can then accelerate the mentoring process by focusing on solutions, and pointing out a path to achieve the company’s goals, including providing useful links, strategies, tips and strategic vision.
Ongoing Benefits
Regular coaching and entrepreneurship assistance is a key component of the ISCM program. Striving to maximize the flexibility of small and medium-sized businesses to address their own critical challenges, our mentoring process also offers companies the following benefits:
- leveraging core business strengths,
- enhancing managerial development,
- assistance with access to sources of financing,
- developing strategies to strengthen IP positioning,
- increasing marketplace credibility,and
- mapping out growth strategies.
In today’s shifting economy, businesses managers from companies of all sizes and all industries must constantly learn, evolve, and deal with challenges. The ISCM mentoring team provides managers with support to cope with issues and the ability to take advantage of new opportunities. Once a business is clear about its current challenge and can clearly identify to where it wants to move forward, ISCM mentors will then help guide management on this journey to success.
