European Social Fund in England

SME workforce development promotion LSC measure 3.2

Full-steam ahead for fledgling firm

Its full steam ahead for a former lorry driver and his business after he received some invaluable input from the Mentors to Small Business project.

The ESF-supported initiative is being led by Business Boffins Ltd, provides management development support to SMEs in areas such as finance, IT, HR and marketing.

Protek-Dor Limited was founded by John Jones, a lorry driver who recognised the increasing danger faced by drivers from attacks by stowaways. John and his wife created a series of products that helped protect drivers in their cabs. They joined the Mentors to Small Business program in 2003 and initially received help in preparing their business plan and cash flow forecast.

During the rest of the program they were helped on business related issues such as intellectual property protection, debt funding and advice on attracting equity finance. This has assisted them to secure substantial funding for their company from other sources.

"I cannot thank Business Boffins enough for helping us to refocus on where we were going and for their continued encouragement, help and support They really helped us to understand the different decisions we had to make to take the business forward," said Debbie Jones, Managing Director, Protek-dor Limited.

Mentors to Small Business Project manager, Sebastian Johnson, says, "Research shows 30 per cent of new businesses fail within 12 months. The Mentors to Small Business Programme set out to address these issues by equipping MBA graduates with the skills and practical knowledge to become mentors to new and emerging companies in the South East."

"During the project, 147 companies received mentoring support and, of these, 86 per cent survived the 12-month danger zone."

Other partners in the Mentors for Small Business project included Oxford Brookes University & Faculty of Professional Advisors.