Noor Shahzad attended the very first Meet A Mentor event in London.  She met some really interesting people on the day, including one potential mentor. She is still keen to see if she can find the perfect mentor in the health and care sector that could support her as she starts and grows her venture.

Noor has ambitious plans to open up a new style of care home, one that caters specifically for the needs of the Muslim community. She says, "I want to create a wonderful home environment where people can feel safe and cared for. Although there are many good care homes out there, I really feel there is an opportunity to create a home that caters for the Muslim community".

Noor is a Solicitor by profession, and hence new to the health sector, and therefore throughout the business planning process she has found herself tackling many areas she's unfamiliar with, she says:

"That's why I was keen to find a mentor, it would be so great to gain experience from someone that has experience in this sector and can share their knowledge of the finance and resource implications".

Some of Noor's biggest challenges are around balancing the need of an excellent service with decisions about whether the venture is a social enterprise or profit making, she says, "this is a labour of love really, so my number one priority is the quality of the service, but I need to be able to make it viable so that I can continue to provide an excellent service and invest more into expansion or additional services".

Over the coming months Noor is meeting with community leaders, business contacts, and those that can help her research the needs of the sector.

Noor has joined the 'Health Sector' Group in the IOEE and hopes to connect with others in that sector.