Ballarat businesses helping one another

MENTORING is about guiding and helping a less experienced person engage, learn and be challenged by perspectives, experiences and expertise that are different to their own.

Commerce Ballarat’s mentoring program, an exciting learning opportunity for Ballarat businesses, is equally suitable for new enterprises or an existing business that require assistance to grow or develop.

Ten businesses in this year’s program have been given the valuable opportunity to grow and develop with individual mentoring and group participation.

Mentee business owners benefit from the costfree project, by committing designated times throughout the year to the mentoring relationship.

Mentors see the program as a way to gain both personal and professional satisfaction from advancing other enterprises while supporting the Ballarat business community.

Nathanial Campbell, Lending Director at Juno Lending and Finance signed up to the program and was partnered with mentor Chris Cartledge, owner of The Carpet & Tile Gallery in Ballarat.

Mr Campbell, who has just celebrated his first year as a business owner, said having worked in the banking industry for 15 years he knew lending quite well but had never run a business before.

“Even though I partnered with some accountants who are very helpful, it is just handy to have someone who is not focussed on the day-to-day of the business so they can give me advice on what I should be doing,” Mr Campbell said.

“I am working with Chris on how to operate as a business owner.”

Mr Cartledge asked him to write out three things he wanted to work on during their mentoring relationship when they met at the start of the program.

“If at the end of the year we can look at those three points and say yes I have succeeded then it will be a great outcome,” Mr Campbell said.

“Even though I have only met with Chris a couple of times so far, I can see that it is forcing me to focus on things I hadn’t thought about as it is so easy to get bogged down in the day to day.”

Mr Cartledge who started The Carpet & Tile Gallery in 1995 said he is very strong on the mindset that people take into their business.

“I like to work with them on what their vision for the business is and what they believe about it and what their needs are,” Mr Cartledge said.

“I can also pass onto him a lot of the mistakes I have made and how he can learn from them.”

Mr Cartledge said the common thread of all business is the relationships we have.

“Whether they are with people we get advice from, such as our accountants or solicitors, it is incredibly important that you have good people behind or beside you to point you in the right direction,” he said.