WOMEN IN BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM:

Jane Hall, Allerjean

Jane Hall found the Women in Business Mentor Program allowed her to build a much bigger picture for her business.

Together with business partner and chef Jean Davy, Jane operates a beachside café offering wheat and gluten free products to allergy sufferers. The café had been open for almost a year when Jane applied for the Women in Business Mentor Program.

Jane wanted to develop more wholesale trade for the food products, and eventually franchise the business. She was teamed with mentor Kit Peters who had extensive experience in franchising, and helped her to develop a broader vision for the business.

'Working with Kit was excellent - it was good to have somebody from outside the business looking in to give us the big picture perspective, which is always such a problem for small businesses.'

Working with a mentor allowed Jane to identify the different aspects of the business and focus on the areas with the biggest growth potential.

'We were running the café, selling products at both the wholesale and retail levels, and also part consulting to people with severe allergies. We ended up taking out some of the seating in the café and employing more staff who could cook, so that we could get the product out there and really develop the wholesale side of the business.'

One of the major challenges in the business was working as a partnership with two very different people. 'Kit showed us how to build on the fact that we have expertise in different areas, so that we could contribute to the business in a holistic way.'

Jane also found the interaction with the other mentorees on the program really worthwhile. 'It was great to understand that you're not all by yourself, that everyone starts from no knowledge and experience. Sharing our experiences really helped.'

With a PhD in marine ecology and a background in environmental policy, Jane admits she had no business skills at all when she started out. 'I had never even worked in a café during the holidays!' she laughs.

'So doing the mentor program really fast tracked my learning about what business is about.  It brought out what were the important things - knowing the guts of your marketing, your financial control, what your business plan is about.  Even if you don't write it down, as long as you are thinking about it, that's what counts. So it made me feel confident that I can control the management of the business.'

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