Thanking All Mentors – 2014 Year in Review

As we kick off 2015 at Futurpreneur Canada, we want to recognize our 2661 valued mentors who have supported, motivated, built confidence, challenged and contributed to the growth of young entrepreneurs and their businesses across Canada.

To support you and the mentoring community in your role as mentors, 2014 was filled with opportunities for professional development, networking, peer-to-peer learning, just-in-time mentoring resources and building appreciation for the art of mentoring.  Below are just a few of the opportunities we ran in 2014 for Futurpreneur mentors.

Entrepreneurial Mentoring: Cultivating the Art

Thanks to the support of Accenture, this six-week, online seminar offered in partnership with the Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University, was offered three times throughout 2014 and had over 100 Futurpreneur mentor participants.

Focusing on the role of the mentor, assumptions in mentoring as well as ethics in mentoring, this seminar has prompted testimonials such as the following from participants:

To learn more about Entrepreneurial Mentoring: Cultivating the Art, click here.

Sage Mentor Think Tanks

Think Tank events bring together our most sage mentors in major urban areas across Canada to engage in peer-learning and coaching where topics such as how to build an entrepreneur’s confidence in an entrepreneur, how to assess an entrepreneur’s needs in personal development, business development and the mentoring relationship have all been explored and research into the most common values shared by mentors has been conducted.

Six Sage Mentor Think Tanks have been held across Canada in 2014 and have contributed to the following outcomes and learnings for all mentors:

Confidence: How can mentors help?

Game on! Relationship Stages and Questions to Unlock Potential

Crash Courses: Just-in-time resources

Thanks to the generous support of the Business Development Bank of Canada, 2014 saw the creation of 11 new crash courses for mentors and entrepreneurs focused on how both partners can maximize their experience.  These resources, based on research into some of the most common challenges in entrepreneurial mentoring explore topics such as

The following NEW Crash Courses are now available:

Entrepreneurs:

• Mentorship: Supporting your Vision and Values
• Mentoring is a Marathon: The Mentor Relationship Lifecycle
• Mentorship Mindset

Mentors:

• Game On! Relationship Stages & Questions to Unlock Potential
• Confidence: how can mentors help
• Entrepreneurial Profile: Understanding the person behind the business
• Bridging the generation gaps in mentorship
• Social Media: Creating a Strategy
• Finding a Home for your Entrepreneurs’ Business
• Helping your Entrepreneur Understand & Connect with Customers
• Crowdfunding 101

Plus three new resources to compliment the new Mentor Crash Courses:

• Conversation Thought Prompters to Unlock Potential in Mentoring Relationships
• Customer Empathy Map: Understanding Your Customer
• Is Crowdfunding Right for your Business?

To view ALL of the Crash Courses now available for mentors, please click here.
To view ALL of the Crash Courses for entrepreneurs regarding mentoring, please click here.

We hope these opportunities for professional development, networking and community building have supported you in your roles and ultimately contributed to the success of the entrepreneurs you mentor.

Your contributions in supporting entrepreneurs have been graciously recognized by government.  In late December, we received a letter from David Sweet, MP, Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, highlighting Futurpreneur mentors’ significant impact on young entrepreneurs  and we could not have expressed our gratitude as well as this letter does.

To continued expert mentoring, business creation and success in 2015.