Mentor Recruitment Communication Toolkit
Help us find our next Mentoring for Growth volunteer business mentors
This toolkit has been developed for you to share information about becoming a Mentoring for Growth (M4G) mentor. In particular we are hoping to get some new mentors from First Nations businesses.
We’d love you to share this information in your newsletters, social channels – if you know someone who would make a wonderful mentor – through targeted communication to specific businesses.
Assets available for you to use include:
- newsletter/website copy and images
- social media copy and images.
If you would something more tailored or different, please contact us at M4G@desbt.qld.gov.au and we’ll be happy to help!
A note about the Mentoring for Growth program
Many micro and small business owners get stuck because they may be unsure of what help they need and who can help them. They are also often unable to afford the hourly rate for specialist help to give them the assistance they need. Mentoring for Growth (M4G) works because the business owner is in the driver’s seat – in the mentoring session it is all about the business and letting the business owner identify what they want help with.
M4G offers business owners free access to volunteer business experts who provide insights, options and suggestions relating to challenges and opportunities they are experiencing in their business. The Queensland Government program has been running for nearly 20 years, with M4G mentors across Queensland working with thousands of businesses of all industries and sizes.
When a business registers for a free confidential M4G session, they identify the business challenge or opportunity they need help with. They are then matched with a mentor with the relevant expertise and experience.
M4G mentors are drawn from a Queensland-wide pool of more than 250 registered mentors and all mentors have some experience in coaching and/or developing businesses. All new mentors go through an on-boarding process, including background checks and signing a contract.
Mentoring for Growth is currently being delivered online only. The program is available to businesses across Queensland.
Full details are available at www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring
Newsletter/website
Long copy (approximately 330 words)
Could you be a Mentoring for Growth volunteer business mentor?
The Queensland Government wants to help more First Nations owned businesses reap the benefits of the Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program, which has successfully mentored Queensland businesses for nearly 20 years.
Are you a First Nations business owner with some coaching and/or business development experience? Why not share your unique experiences, insights and knowledge as a volunteer business mentor with the M4G program.
Your perspective has the potential to help other First Nations’ businesses thrive, explore new markets and build opportunities. Often it can be hard for these business owners to ask the questions they need answered to take the next step. Or they might worry about sharing information about their business in case someone steals their business idea or information to use it for themselves.
M4G mentors share their knowledge and experience to help Queensland small business owners overcome challenges and identify opportunities through free confidential mentoring sessions coordinated by the Queensland Government’s M4G team. Sessions can run for 45-90 minutes and the mentors are matched to small businesses based on their business skills and knowledge.
- “Being a M4G mentor is a great way to help more of our Mob achieve their own independence, provide some direction in how to build the foundations of sustainable business, and help our communities achieve economic development opportunities. If you represent regional and remote First Nation’s people, it can also help you have a stronger voice at the table, increasing your opportunities to contribute or be heard as a stakeholder,” Petina Tieman, First Nations M4G mentor since 2016.
- “By becoming a mentor with M4G, not only will you expand your own business network, mentoring other businesses will provide you with the opportunity to listen and learn from others’ experience and share your own insights to help their businesses thrive,” Jenni Walke, First Nations M4G mentor since 2018.
Registrations for the current recruitment round are now open, and close at 5pm on 31 October 2021.
For more information on the M4G program, including how to register to become a mentor, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring
Short copy (approximately 95 words)
Could you be a Mentoring for Growth volunteer business mentor?
Are you a First Nations small business owner with some coaching and/or business development experience? Why not share your unique experiences, insights and knowledge as a volunteer business mentor with the Queensland Government’s Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program. Your perspective has the potential to help other First Nations’ businesses thrive, explore new markets and build opportunities. M4G mentors share their knowledge and experience to help other small business owners overcome challenges and identify opportunities through free confidential mentoring sessions. Registrations are now open and close at 5pm on 31 October 2021. For more information, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring.
Quotes from our First Nations M4G mentors (use as many as you want in your communications)
Mentoring can be very rewarding for the mentors as well as the mentees. This is what a couple of our First Nations M4G mentors had to say:
Petina Tieman, First Nations M4G mentor since 2016:
- “Becoming a mentor is a life changing experience. Other M4G mentors are always supportive of new mentors – the M4G program works because more experienced mentors will help guide new mentors through sessions until they are confident and comfortable with the process. M4G is a great platform to share your expertise in a safe environment, building your profile along the way and most importantly, it enables you to give back to your community and help others to build their business.”
- “Being a M4G mentor is a great way to help more of our Mob achieve their own independence, provide some direction in how to build the foundations of sustainable business, and help our communities achieve economic development opportunities.”
- “If you represent regional and remote First Nation’s people, being identified as an M4G mentor can help you have a stronger voice at the table, increasing your opportunities to contribute or be heard as a stakeholder.”
Jenni Walke, First Nations M4G mentor since 2018:
- “As a First Nations small business owner your experiences, insights and knowledge are unique. Your perspective has the potential to help other First Nations’ businesses thrive, explore new markets and build opportunity.”
- “By becoming a mentor with M4G, not only will you expand your own business network, mentoring other businesses will provide you with the opportunity to listen and learn from others’ experience and share your own insights to help their businesses thrive.”
- “What I love about this program is the generosity with which all M4G mentors approach the sessions. We volunteer our time to help grow the business sector across Queensland. I became a mentor to help support other women in business and to show other First Nations’ business owners the opportunities that exist and the value they can bring to the business sector.”
Newsletter image options (right click preferred image and select ‘Save as’)
Petina Tieman
Jenni Walke
Social media content
Social media post content and tile options are below for you to use on your social channels, or you are welcome to share our posts from:
Post 1
Are you a First Nations business owner with some coaching and/or business development experience? Why not share your unique experiences, insights and knowledge and become a volunteer business mentor with the Queensland Government’s Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program? Your perspective has the potential to help other First Nations’ businesses thrive, explore new markets and build opportunities. M4G mentors help other small business owners overcome challenges and identify opportunities through free confidential mentoring sessions. Registrations are now open and close at 5pm on 31 October 2021. For more information, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring
Post 2
Are you an experienced First Nations business owner looking to help other small businesses to grow? Using your experiences could you help them to identify new opportunities or avoid costly mistakes? The Queensland Government's Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program is looking for new volunteer business mentors and it could be you! “By becoming a mentor with M4G, not only will you expand your own business network, mentoring other businesses will provide you with the opportunity to listen and learn from others’ experience and share your own insights to help their businesses thrive,” Jenni Walke, mentor since 2018. Registrations to become a M4G mentor are now open and close at 5pm on 31 October 2021. For more information, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring
Post 3
The Queensland Government's Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program is looking for First Nations’ business owners to become volunteer business mentors. If you have business knowledge and experience you can help other First Nations businesses to ask the tough questions, overcome challenges and identify opportunities through free confidential mentoring sessions.
Mentoring can be very rewarding for the mentors as well as the mentees: “Being a M4G mentor is a great way to help more of our Mob achieve their own independence, provide some direction in how to build the foundations of sustainable business, and help our communities achieve economic development opportunities. If you represent regional and remote First Nation’s people, it can also help you have a stronger voice at the table, increasing your opportunities to contribute or be heard as a stakeholder,” Petina Tieman, mentor since 2016.
Registrations close at 5pm on 31 October 2021, to register visit: www.business.qld.gov.au/mentoring.
