If you know of any Cambridge small business owners current or past who you believe may be interested in giving back and possibly being a mentor, I would be more than happy if you could share their name and contact information with me so I can reach out and chat with them about our City of Cambridge Small Business Mentorship Program.
Also, if you know of any newer Cambridge Small Business owners who you think would benefit from having a mentor, please feel free to encourage them to apply. Brick and Mortar as well as home-based will be considered.
*Mentors will be paid for their time while meeting with Mentees*.
Mentor and Mentee Expectations and Commitment:
- Mentors will meet with their Mentees for 3 hours bi-monthly for the duration of the mentorship program.
- The mentorship program will run for 1 year
- Meetings will take place 6 times throughout the program year
- Meetings can take place either in person or virtually
- Mentees and mentors will have an opportunity to chat about how their business is doing as well as ask questions and seek guidance from the mentors about possible ways to elevate their business
The purpose of the Small Business Mentorship Program is to: Provide mentorship opportunities and other resources to business owners in Cambridge, with a focus on historically excluded businesses as well as businesses in the starting out or preparing for growth stages. The program aims to help Cambridge small business owners build relationships with experienced small business owners as well as local area mentorship programs to provide a structured format for mentor-mentee relationships to develop.
Mentees will be matched with mentors who will provide them with coaching, support, advice, and guidance on navigating their professional careers. Mentors will also help mentees set professional goals and provide them with the necessary resources to achieve them. Mentors and mentees will be strategically matched based on gathering useful details about participants, such as their professional backgrounds, key skill sets, strengths, and weaknesses as well as their goals, interests, and personalities. Industry specific mentor/mentee matching will be a key component as well.
The Small Business Mentorship Program will also offer:
- Mentorship Directory
- Traditional mentoring 1 – 1 mentor coaching
- Cohort style workshops
Link to our website: Small Business Mentorship Program – CDD – City of Cambridge, Massachusetts