Business Mentoring for the 21st Century
November 24, 2011
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
When I first started my business, I was 26-years-old and didn’t have a lot of business experience. I was lucky enough to have a one-on-one, face-to-face business mentor. At the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, we have taken the traditional business mentor model and brought it into the 21st century.
We offer a six-month mentoring program, MentorNet. Our program has won awards due to the way we use technology to facilitate collaboration. We have one mentor who could be situated anywhere in Australia (or anywhere in the world) and a mentoree who can similarly be in a small country town in Australia in a rural area or in a big city. Each mentor mentors a small pod of mentorees.
The program delivers not only mentoring
…but training in key business areas — and we use online collaborative tools in order to do that. Over six months, participants learn how to put together a business plan that includes finances, marketing, HR and all the core elements of a solid business plan. Further, we have an online, closed-door community that’s hosted in the cloud, where they go to read case studies, answer questions and post on their own blog about their findings.
Every two weeks, we conduct a web-based seminar using GoToWebinar by Citrix — we have an expert presenter who delivers information and interacts with the other people on the call. For example, when we enter the marketing module of the MentorNet program, the expert presenter asks participants to share their key marketing strategies.
Information exchanged in real-time
The Citrix GoToWebinar tool allows users to exchange information in real-time, link to their business websites and even share desktops. The chat function lets other participants give their impression of websites and other marketing materials. In this collaborative, interactive environment, participants can tell each other, “I’m lost when I arrive at your home page” or “The wording in this section is really complex and hard to understand.” The ability to get the input of other successful and aspiring businesswomen has been very helpful and made our MentorNet program a success.
The 2012 MentorNet program begins on 12 June. Learn more about the program. Registration is now open.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- What Should I Write about on My Business Blog?
- How Guy Kawasaki Enchanted Me
- Make Telephone Interviews Work: Tips for Preparing and Conducting Virtual Interviews
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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Sisters Networking For Themselves – startupsmart
May 3, 2011
Changes to working patterns, the new paid parental leave scheme and a generation that’s well educated and business-savvy is set to propel ever-increasing numbers of women to start-up their own companies.
However, female entrepreneurs still face challenges that often aren’t encountered by men. Suzi Dafnis was interviewed by startup smart for an article to coincide with 2011 International Women’s Day.
Business Role Models and Mentors – BRW Story
November 11, 2010
The Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN) was featured in BRW on 4 November in a story called Role Models which looked at the role of mentors in business. The story starts of by revealing the details of business tycoon Richard Branson’s mentor.
The ABN is a big advocate for mentoring in business and has, since 1997, promoted business mentoring programs for women in business. MentorNet, its current mentoring program was this year awarded Best Mentoring Program 2010. In this BRW interview Suzi Dafnis discussed how mentoring relationships should be set up in order for them to work and the role that curriculum and design of a mentoring program, has in the program’s success.
Learn more about the MentorNet program here.
How to Meet Your Mentor – The Age
October 3, 2010
Business mentors – What role can they play in the life of a small-business owner? And, how do you find a mentor? When you find them, what’s the protocol for the exchange of their time.
These are the questions I answered when interviewed recently for Fairfax Digital’s small business section.
You can read the full story here. And, you can learn more about our award-winning MentorNet program, here!
MentorNet Mentoring and Training Program Wins Award
April 21, 2010
The Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s MentorNet mentoring program has won a Platinum Award for Best Mentoring or Coaching program at the prestigious LearnX Asia Pacific 2010 E-Learning and Training Awards.
MentorNet provides women business owners with six months of business skills training and small-group mentoring.
Mentors (men or women with over five years business experience) provide mentoring to women business owners following a structured and planned approach to business building. The program covers business-skills development training, mentoring and peer collaboration. Subject-matter experts facilitate educational webinars (web seminars) to deliver business-skills training.
As a result of participating in the program mentors and mentorees expand their national networks and make contacts that can provide ongoing support after the completion of the program. The role of the mentor and peer collaboration increases the feedback, commitment and accountability of meeting these targets.
The program was launched in January 2007 and remains the only national mentoring program ever launched and certainly the first to use today’s web and digital technology to deliver education and mentoring. MentorNet uses a combination of online classrooms, blogs, podcasts, a web-community and virtual meetings to provide structured skills training and mentoring to businesswomen.
“We are delighted to have the MentorNet program recognised. MentorNet will continue to provide support to businesswomen in all parts of Australia through its use of technology and innovation.” said Suzi Dafnis, Community Director of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network.
More details about the program as well as Mentoree success stories can be found here.
MentorNet Wins Best Mentoring Program
For more information:
Phone: 1300 720 120
Suzi Dafnis
Community Director
Australian Businesswomen’s Network
MentorNet featured in US women’s magazine, Pink!
February 16, 2009
We’re very excited to have the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and the MentorNet mentoring program for women featured on the blog for the US women’s magazine, Pink!
The article, titled: Why women are better at networking, explained how the program was conducted using social media and online e-learning technologies.
How do you measure your business success? MentorNet mentor in the News.
January 6, 2009
There’s an old saying that ‘what you measure, grows’. I’m not sure who said it but the idea is that when you know ‘where you’re at’, when you know your statistics, then and only then can you improve that statistic.
MentorNet Mentor Darren Shaw of award-winning boutique gym Ignite Health was recently interviewed for the Daily Telegraph about the role of keeping statistics and how it contributes to his success.
Stacey Barr (the consultant who is helping him measure his stats) is a member of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network!
Congratulations to both Stacey and Darren on this great PR coverage.
Members in the Spotlight – Me and My Mentor
November 17, 2008
Congratulations to MentorNet graduates Leona Watson (Cheeky Food Group) and Susse Linton (Susse) who appeared in the Daily Telegraph’s Me and My Mentor section on Saturday 8 November.
Susse was inspired by the fact that her mentor had also started a business from scratch and could help her gain confidence. Leona explained how her own business benefited from the process of being a mentor. When she reviewed the business module with her mentorees, she tightened up her own business plan.
Mentoree: It’s great to have the support of other women
November 1, 2008
Congratulations to Mentor Leona Watson and mentoree Susse Linton on this story that appeared as part of the Me and My Mentor section of the Daily Telegraph.
Daily Telegraph, November 2008
MentorNet Mentor Listed in BRW Young Rich List
October 1, 2008
Congratulations to Scott Farquhar of Atlassian and his business partner, both of whom were listed in the current issue of BRW Magazine – the Young Rich List – a list of Australia’s wealthiest people 40 years and younger. The magazine is currently in stores and features the inspiring stories of some great, innovative entrepreneurs.
