Sandra Anne Kelly (pictured, right) supports new and growing businesses in Glasgow and came along to the Glasgow Meet A Mentor event in January, after spotting it on Twitter, to network, meet fellow mentors, and potentially meet a business to support as a volunteer mentor. With 25 years experience in retail, and direct experience of growing a construction business, she believes in helping business owners gain focus and build confidence to maximise their chances of success.

We caught up with Sandra to find out how she found the event and whether any mentoring relationships have developed since.

Tell us about you.

As a Business Advisor, I support businesses either at start-up stage or, if they’re further into their journey, to grow, move into premises, and take on employees. When I’m supporting businesses I focus on sales. It’s important to register with the tax office and get all the legal details right, but even more important is to get people to a stage where they’re networking and actually getting sales.

What’s your own professional background?

After 25 years in retail management, I took a career break to raise my family. Then I became HR and Training manager of a construction company. I worked with the Managing Director and we took the business from 4 employees to 24 employees; doubling the turnover. We got Investors In People within 3 months and we tendered for, and won, several large contracts.

Impressive. Are those experiences helpful to you as a mentor?

Absolutely. I have real hands-on experience of not having enough money to pay the VAT quarter and getting on the phone to bring in late money from customers. I decided I wanted to share my knowledge so I took a coaching qualification and began working as a Business Advisor.

Can you tell us about business mentoring you deliver?

When someone is running a business they have to wear a lot of different hats, in addition to the hat that they normally wear. So, if they’ve an HR consultancy, for example, they may be very good at doing HR but all of a sudden they have to learn about bookkeeping, legal status, marketing… My role is to explain, very quickly, the different steps they need to get their business up and running. I really cut down the time spent on investigation and research, and then I help mentees work out how they’re going to get money coming in.

Cash flow is key then?

Yes, I help to explain financials to people, without using any jargon, so they can understand their books, predicted sales and cash flow, and know what they’re going to earn for the next few months provided they make those sales. It’s also about the consequences if they make more sales or if they miss the targets. It’s very much about goals – what do you want to achieve and how are we going to get you there?

Did you connect with a mentee at Meet a Mentor?

Yes, I met two business women who had partnered to set up a business. They have excellent professional skills, but had gaps in their knowledge when it came to running a business, particularly around marketing and selling. So far we’ve had four sessions. I’ve helped the business define its unique selling point, giving my mentees the confidence to actually ask for business from potential customers. Now, they’re networking on their own and it’s making a big difference. It sounds so simple but it’s not that easy for people at times when they’re in the thick of running their business.

How have you managed the mentoring relationship?

At our first session we discussed our expectations and how we would work together. I guaranteed my mentees six sessions as a volunteer mentor.

From my experience, six sessions are enough to help a business owner to get over a particular barrier. I like to do voluntary work alongside my paid work, as it’s great to see a new business blossom and grow. I get a huge amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from helping people, who have the potential, but lack knowledge and confidence, and then sharing in their success.

What would you say to a business thinking of seeking the help of a mentor?

Ask for as much support and advice as you possibly can, from lots of different sources, and take from it what benefits you. Always listen to your gut feeling. Don’t worry if a relationship doesn’t quite gel – if that happens then find someone else you feel more comfortable with. A mentor should be able to challenge you, but you should come away from a meeting feeling more confident in your abilities to meet your goals. You should always be looking forward to meeting your mentor.

Have you had mentors throughout your professional life and how have they helped you?

Yes I absolutely have and I still do. My mentor understands my values and what’s important to me. She helps me to keep focused on what I want to achieve. She challenges me and gives me encouragement and motivation.

What part will mentoring play in the future of your professional life?

I love mentoring and I cannot imagine not supporting businesses in the future. Mentoring draws on all of my experience and knowledge, and I am able to use that to make a real difference to the success of growing businesses.

If you would like to connect with Sandra, she’s very happy to hear from any more potential mentees. Connect with her in the Member Directory on The IOEE or follow her on Twitter @aspiretosandra.