Our two hours with Richard Doyle** progressed rapidly, from briefing him on how we saw the challenges facing us, to a wide-ranging discussion to determine which product and market strategies could take us into a new phase of growth. This was just what we needed at this time, and we’re so committed to following through on his insightful recommendations that we asked to meet up again in six months to give Richard a report.

Our mentoring session with Julian Kynaston was most beneficial. Julian was both supportive and challenging, providing a fresh perspective on our plans to further develop the business. Following our session, we have already started the process of implementing the strategy discussed in our meeting.

My one to one session with Gerald Jennings was very informative and uplifting. Gerald provided some salient business improvement ideas, which we will discuss at Board level. On the whole, this is a fantastic benefit that comes from being a member of Connect Yorkshire.

Meeting Janette Benaddi was inspiring. Really it was!

Ahead of our meeting I had read her bio and noted some immense achievements both in business and in life. In person she is inspiring and oh, so very normal. A smile, a warm welcome and great listening skills. She shared her experience and knowledge freely and was keen to help me with my business. Sharing my business challenges with her was easy and Janette’s reassurance, guidance and belief was inspiring.

Since our 121, watching Janette present at a Negotiation Workshop was amazing. She understands that the whole process begins and ends with people, that relationships matter. My recent request for some feedback on a document was met with a speedy, honest response.

I am delighted that Janette Benaddi is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Connect Yorkshire – and my mentor!

I wanted to meet David Smalley to discuss his business model structure, in particular using a more flexible workforce of external people in conjunction with a core team of employees.

David was really insightful, considered and inspiring. He made me realise the value and point of difference of our values! And I came away feeling more confident that the direction I wanted to take the business was viable.

An invaluable session with a really fantastic person and business man.

Many thanks for the meeting today and the honest, illuminating and frank discussion. We are very grateful for the down to earth, practical, sales and marketing discussion, that we could relate to. Also, not just mentoring but helping with connections! For the new offices for OSL we will definitely gauge your ‘Requirements’, highlight the ‘Benefits’, and ensure you have the most competitive or best ‘Investment’. Thank you to Connect Yorkshire for accommodating.

I would highly recommend Connect Yorkshire’s 1 to 1 mentoring session. Libby took the time to understand my mentoring needs and provided a shortlist of suitable candidates, introducing them and answering my questions. As a result of the tailored approach, I had a worthwhile and enjoyable session with my chosen mentor Janette Benaddi, and this is just the start of a long term relationship

I had my mentoring session with Craig Hibbert in April 2019. The session was fantastic! Craig is a highly established and experienced business owner and gave us honest feedback. We had lots to discuss including general business advice in terms of growing the business, to discussing challenges and gaining knowledge on how Craig had faced them himself and how he had overcome them. He gave me ideas on training and staff development. I really enjoyed the session and took a lot away from it. Thank you to Craig and Connect Yorkshire for helping to facilitate.

The Connect Yorkshire mentoring session we had with Jonathan Sands was hugely valuable for us as a company looking to the future. Jonathan gave us some highly relevant insight into how Elmwood grew and gained reputation as the worlds most effective brand design consultancy. We listened very carefully to Jonathan’s thoughts and since we met him we have embarked on a journey of looking closely at what Wish is currently and what exactly we want Wish to be in the future. This promises to be a very exciting journey and we have Jonathan to thank for being so generous with his time and lighting the blue touch-paper.

Connect Yorkshire is a fantastic network of businesses. From the training, to the networking and mentoring sessions there is something for everyone. Personally I’ve found the mentoring very valuable. It has allowed me to develop new ideas alongside some very successful entrepreneurs and gain valuable insights and feedback on my business. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Connect Yorkshire network to people looking for that next step up in their business.