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FAQs & Help
| Mentoring
Guide
| Resource
Center What would you like help with?What are the requirements to be involved?Whether you’re just getting
started or you’ve been in business for 30 years, the most important
requirement is that you are seriously committed to working on your
business with your mentor. We ask that all participants treat others
within the MicroMentor community with respect, and that an honest
effort is put into each mentoring relationship established.
Why work with a mentor?New entrepreneurs can find
answers to business questions and connect with mentors and advisers
who are ready to help with business challenges. To read about the
small business owners who have benefited from being matched with a
business mentor, check out our Success Stories.
How do I sign up?Signing up is easy. Simply
go our website at: http://www.micromentor.org and follow the link
to Find a Mentor. Our application form should take you about 20 minutes
to complete and then you are ready to begin!
How much time will this take?While each mentoring relationship
is unique, some reach their goal in a few weeks, and some go on for
a few years, as a rule of thumb, we recommend that you set aside 6
hours per month for 3 months for each of your mentoring relationships.
How do I get connected with a Mentor?Finding the right connection
is easy:
How many people can I work with at one time?You may work with up to three
Mentors at any given time.
How long does it take to get matched?It depends… sometimes people
get matched on the same day that they send match requests and sometimes
it takes a few weeks. After you send a match request, we give the
requested party two weeks to respond until we “expire” the match request.
Can I work with someone in my home town?MicroMentor is a national
project—linking emerging entrepreneurs from around the country with
experienced business mentors—and most mentoring relationships take
place over email or telephone. However, if you prefer, you are welcome
to specifically seek contacts in your region. Depending on your location,
you may not find someone local right away, but we are growing every
day.
Can my mentor help me find funding or secure business investments?MicroMentor mentors can work
with you to help make your financing plans viable, but they are not
able to provide financing themselves. Small business owners who need
funding are advised to check out our resources page for appropriate
resources.
What are the requirements to be a mentor?In order to maintain the
integrity of the MicroMentor program, we require that our Mentor volunteers:
What types of skills and experiences are MicroMentor entrepreneurs looking for?MicroMentor entrepreneurs
are a very diverse group, starting and growing businesses across a
wide range of industries and needing a variety of functional expertise.
Commonly requested skills include, but are not limited to: writing
business plans, online sales, time management, marketing, analyzing
cash flows, managing finances, and website development.
Why be a business mentor with MicroMentor?
How do I sign up?Signing up is easy. Simply
go our website at: http://www.micromentor.org and follow the link
to Be a Mentor. Our application form should take you about 20 minutes
to complete and then you are ready to begin!
How much time will this take?While each mentoring relationship
is unique, some reach their goal in a few weeks, and some go on for
a few years, as a rule of thumb, we recommend that you set aside 3
hours per month for 3 months for each of your mentoring relationships.
How do I get connected with a Protégé?Finding the right connection
is easy:
How many people can I work with at one time?You are welcome to work with
as many entrepreneurs as you would like as long as you have the time
to provide quality mentoring to each of your Protégés.
How long does it take to get matched?It depends… sometimes people
get matched on the same day that they send match requests and sometimes
it takes a few weeks. After you send a match request, we give the
requested party two weeks to respond until we “expire” the match request.
Can I work with someone in my home town?MicroMentor is a national
project—linking emerging entrepreneurs from around the country with
experienced business mentors—and most mentoring relationships take
place over email or telephone. However, if you prefer, you are welcome
to specifically seek contacts in your region. Depending on your location,
you may not find someone local right away, but we are growing every
day.
I forgot my password (or my login email), what should I do?Just send an email to support@micromentor.org
and let us know that you would like us to resend your login information.
What happens if I move?MicroMentor is available
across the United States, and because it’s an online service, you
can access it anywhere. We only ask that you update your profile on
MicroMentor with your changed contact information.
How do I update my contact information and my profile?Log in to your account on
www.MicroMentor.org and follow the links at the bottom of your account
page to “Update Your Profile”. Please note: You can only currently
update your contact information and not your business or mentoring
profile. We are currently working on this glitch in our website and
will send out an email when the problem has been fixed.
How do I close my MicroMentor account?You can close, or temporarily
deactivate, your MicroMentor account at any time. Just email support@micromentor.org.
How can I see my match requests?After logging into your account
you will see a table in the middle of the page with your match requests.
You can click on the profile of the mentor or protégé to see their
profile. You can also see the status of the match request. If you
were requested for the match and it is still pending, take a look
at the profile and either accept or decline the match request.
My match request has been declined, how can I be sure that I don’t request the same person again?You don’t need to worry about
that – our system will allow you to view any profile in our system,
but if your match request has already been declined by this individual,
you will not have the option of sending a match request.
What about privacy – are my details displayed openly on the web?No. All personal and contact
details, including your name and email address, remain private until
your match request is accepted. When a match request is accepted,
names and email addresses will be exchanged, however it is entirely
up to you whether you would like to exchange phone numbers or meet
face-to-face.
I received an email introducing my new mentor/protégé, but I don’t have his/her contact details.Underneath your new contact’s
name you should also find their email address.
I have identified a good mentor/protégé but I’m not able to send them a match request.Chances are that you have
landed on a profile of a mentor or protégé that you have already requested
for a mentoring relationship. Even if you don’t have any active requests
out, the system will not allow you to send a match request to a previous
mentor/protégé or to someone who has previously declined your match
request.
What is MicroMentor?MicroMentor.org connects
emerging entrepreneurs with volunteer business owners and professionals—like
an online dating service for entrepreneurs and business mentors. MicroMentor,
a nonprofit program, is an initiative of Mercy Corps, an international
economic development and humanitarian relief agency.
How did MicroMentor start?Between 1998 and 2001, the
Aspen Institute’s FIELD program conducted a national research project
to learn more about the best ways to help small business owners in
disadvantaged communities grow and stabilize their enterprises. The
project concluded that in-depth, industry-specific business assistance
was critical for emerging businesses. Thus, the MicroMentor concept
began to take shape.
Why work with a mentor?New entrepreneurs can find
answers to business questions and connect with mentors and advisers
who are ready to help with business challenges. To read about the
small business owners who have benefited from being matched with a
business mentor, check out our Success Stories.
Why be a business mentor with MicroMentor?
How do I sign up?Signing up is easy. Simply
go our website at: http://www.micromentor.org and follow the link
to Find a Mentor. Our application form should take you about 20 minutes
to complete and then you are ready to begin!
What about privacy – are my details displayed openly on the web?No. All personal and contact
details, including your name and email address, remain private until
your match request is accepted. When a match request is accepted,
names and email addresses will be exchanged, however it is entirely
up to you whether you would like to exchange phone numbers or meet
face-to-face.
Does Micromentor offer any services other than mentoring?MicroMentor currently only
offers mentoring matching services. We plan to launch a new and improved
web platform (MicroMentor 2.0) with more services in late fall 2008.
Are there any rules on MicroMentor?To see a basic set of guidelines
for MicroMentor involvement, please consult our ethical agreement:
http://www.micromentor.org/ethicalagreement.htm
Is MicroMentor available in other languages?At the moment, MicroMentor
is specifically an English-speaking program. However, we are actively
designing a Spanish-language pilot program, and hope to launch services
in additional languages soon.
Is MicroMentor available outside the United States?MicroMentor is currently
only available to participants in the United States. We are actively
assessing opportunities for international expansion and hope to offer
some international service in the next year or two.
What is a microenterprise?A microenterprise is a small
business that has 5 or fewer employees and start-up capital of $35,000
or less. Microenterprises are generally considered unbankable. For
this reason, microfinance institutions are a common source of funding
and expertise for these small businesses.
I need funding for my small business and my bank has turned down my loan request, is there anywhere I can go?Yes – most states have microfinance
institutions that are devoted to helping small businesses get up and
running. These institutions provide a variety of services, often including
financing options. Go to the MicroMentor Resource Center to find a
microfinance institution near you.
How do I find a local microfinance institution?You can search for a microfinance
organization by state by going to the MicroMentor Resource Center.
How does MicroMentor work with local business development organizations? Through our affiliate program,
MicroMentor helps to build capacity and reduce costs for micro and
small enterprise development organizations by providing a scalable
platform for delivering one-on-one technical assistance services to
clients. These affiliate programs refer clients in need of personalized
business mentoring and advising to MicroMentor on an ongoing basis,
and we provide detailed activity and outcomes reporting as their clients
progress through the program. We offer staff orientations and training
to help affiliates get started with the program, as well as ongoing
support and resources. MicroMentor is also focused on leveraging our
affiliate relationships to collaborate with local corporations and
professional groups, cultivting local networks of support for affiliate
clients.
For more information please email info@micromentor.org or call 415.692.4840 How does MicroMentor work with corporations and professional organizations?MicroMentor offers busy professionals
a convenient, flexible volunteer opportunity that leverages and challenges
their core business skill set and puts them in direct contact with
a dynamic emerging market: micro and small businesses. MicroMentor
provides a suite of services to help groups of volunteers get involved
and have a rewarding experience, including program planning and implementation,
dedicated customer service and support, participant monitoring, and
community impact reporting.
MicroMentor is currently enhancing our website to offer corporations and professional organizations the ability to sponsor, develop, and participate in targeted communities of practice: group spaces aggregating content, entrepreneurs, and volunteer mentors and advisors around a specific industry or topic, for example Green Business, Specialty Foods, or eCommerce. For more information please email info@micromentor.org or call 415.692.4840.
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