MENTORING CATCHUP WITH

In 2023, we continue to work with UKFinance and the highstreet banks to provide mentoring services to new and existing business owners across the country. We had an opportunity to talk with Becca McClure and Anastasia Georgiou, who started their mentoring journey back in 2020 and have been in regular contact since.

It was brilliant to get to know more about their mentoring relationship, how it has helped Becca and her business, and how it pushed Anastasia to develop her mentoring skills. Each mentoring relationship we have heard about is unique, naturally, and yet they all sound so rewarding and beneficial.

Becca is the co-owner of North Sky Yurts, which is a female founded, eco conscious yurt and bell tent hire business based in Leeds. The business launched in October 2020 and has been growing ever since. Becca set up the business, whilst still in full time employment. One day during lockdown, she was made redundant. Becca chose to take this as an opportunity to focus more on her business. Being made redundant isn’t ideal for anyone, but this extra time gave Becca a chance to plan out her idea and really hit the ground running. She sought out a mentor and was matched with Anastasia who was there as a sounding board for Becca’s ideas and challenges.

Becca said it was really useful to get that external point of view and for someone to point out some logistical challenges Becca may face along the way. It was also great to hear that Anastasia was able to highlight areas of Becca’s business plan that were strong, and those areas that needed some extra development. Our mentees often say the mentors point of things that a new business owner may not think of, and that is what they are there for. To provide mentees with access to their expertise and knowledge.

Becca really appreciates the support Anastasia has given her, during her start up phase. From business planning to support with logistics, Becca knew she could go to Anastasia with a list of areas she wanted to focus on. Oftentimes, Anastasia would prompt Becca to find solutions to these areas herself, signposting her to services or resources that were available. It was then up to Becca if she wanted to access those resources or if she wanted to focus on another area of her business. Both parties agreed it was this sense of accountability that kept the pair motivated and focused.

We spoke to Anastasia, Becca’s mentor and a mentor who has featured in a number of publications in the past. Anastasia is very skilled when it comes to mentoring, and has a brilliant track record with our mentees.

Anastasia told us that the key to a successful mentoring relationship is being prepared. Going to the meetings, with a plan, knowing what you want to get out of the relationship and doing your ‘homework’, are all key parts of a successful mentoring relationship. Anastasia and Becca came up with tasks and agreed on some actions at each meeting, and the pair found this worked out well for them both. Anastasia was able to set out a structure for the meetings, and Becca was able to get more focused support, encouragement and challenge.

Anastasia also really appreciated that Becca was active in the relationship. Becca engaged with the process from start to finish and they had regular check-ins along the way, so Becca could ask any questions she may have and get feedback from Anastasia. This active participation is really important in a mentoring relationship. In a mentoring relationship, you get our what you put in. Meaning, the more effort, engagement and participation you put in, the better results you should yield.

It was really useful, to have this conversation with Becca and Anastasia. Their key take aways were to come prepared, know what you want from the relationship and be an active participant in the relationship.

It was great to hear that Becca found the relationship useful, and we are really happy to hear that her business has another busy peak period coming up soon! If you are interested in reading more about the mentoring project, or want a mentor yourself, then do head over to our mentoring page: https://ioee.org.uk/mentoring