This week sees the launch of Blue Patch, an exciting new social enterprise from entrepreneur and environmentalist, Jane Langley.

We’re delighted to have had the chance to interview Jane, during what has probably been one of the busiest months of her life, to find out more about Blue Patch and how sourcing a mentor during this start up phase has helped her launch the business.

The development and planning of Blue Patch started six years ago with Jane’s driving aspiration to tackle the carbon footprint of big business. She believed the solution lay in supporting and nurturing British-made products and services from companies committed to sustainability.

Six years on, and Jane has turned her vision into a reality with the newly launched site, Blue Patch, which boasts an impressive  directory of eco-fashion, designer furniture, organic food, sustainable and fair trade products and services – all made in Britain.

The entrepreneur’s drive and passion to get the project off the ground has been nothing short of miraculous. As Jane herself explains, it’s taken many hours of hard work and commitment to reach this stage:

“What now looks beautifully simple on the website has taken hours of conversation and consideration.”

She goes on to explain the ethos behind the site:

“Blue Patch is completely radical for many reasons; for its commitment to sustainable products, for the way in which it leads consumers straight to the buyer, and for its commitment to helping businesses work together by providing forums and job boards.

“One of the most revolutionary elements of Blue Patch is its transparency. We show all of our running costs and how much is reinvested into the business. There are no shareholders and there’s a flat wage policy. After our core costs, 100% of what’s left over will go into a foundation. 50% will be invested into micro renewables in the UK, and the other 50% will be invested in building on this agenda as voted on by our business members.”

Jane was first switched onto the idea of sourcing an enterprise mentor at a UCL Advances event she attended in the first half of 2013. There, she connected with Carol Robinson, a mentor from Lloyds Banking Group. The pair went on to have eight meetings, half over the phone and half in person, as well as numerous email exchanges.

Carol’s day job was to head up a programme at Lloyds Banking Group but as a volunteer on Lloyds Mentoring Scheme she completed the mentor training and made herself available for her first mentoring assignment.

Jane describes how having Carol as a mentor has helped the development of her business, saying:

“When you’re doing something you’re passionate about, you work all around the clock. It’s very important to have that one person who’s on your side and can listen and support when things aren’t going according to plan. I’d had a bad mentoring experience in the past, but when I met Carol I was immediately reassured. She reflected back what I saw as the issues and she was able to help me set targets to address these. A good mentor will support you and make sure you don’t feel alone.”

Carol’s financial background also meant that she was able to help Jane with benchmarking by looking at the year one figures. Additionally, she was able to read through business plans, and calculate fixing fees and rates of attrition. Jane says:

“She was really good at highlighting the financial aspects and she helped me understand a different way of financial reporting. And as she’d worked in a big business it also meant that she responded very favourably to the ambitions of Blue Patch. She was able to see the long term potential rather than just the first few months.”

If there’s one thing that Jane’s done differently as a result of sourcing a mentor, it’s knowing what she can do herself and when she needs outside help, as she outlines:

“I’ve come to realise that I need advice on market research, HR, finance and potentially other areas. Mentoring led to me source a commercial consultant, which I wouldn’t have done had I not worked with Carol – she was absolutely right about that. It helped me acknowledge how specialised some aspects of running a business are.”

Now that the site is live with a core group of 50 businesses profiled, the business is focusing on growth. It’s not looking for investment because it’s a not for profit, so growth has to be scalable. Businesses only have to pay £30 to be profiled, and that income funds the marketing campaigns. Jane says:

“We’re hugely excited and optimistic about the future. Blue Patch represents a completely new way of doing business. We’re not driven by money, but by a need a make a difference. The money it raises enables us to compete and become a valuable and sustainable way for everyone in the UK to buy ethically.”

Take a look at some of the wonderful businesses already featured on Blue Patch and consider getting involved to provide another outlet for your product or service.

The IOEE can help businesses connect with mentors in the West Midlands, Thames Valley, North East regions, find out more and who to contact here.

Find out more about Blue Patch here; www.bluepatch.org

To find a bank mentor from another region visit www.mentorsme.co.uk

(Photos: Jane Langley with her dog Mole, Jane’s daughter and niece at the Blue Patch launch).