Dormen features in ‘The Link’
A couple of recent issues of ‘The Link’ – Business Link’s information leaflet aimed at helping Dorset businesses to ‘ride the recession and boost your business’ – have included business case studies involving Dormen mentors.
The Feb/Mar 09 issue features Matt Smith who runs ‘Tony Hair’, a hairdressing business in Highcliffe. Matt has been mentored by Ann Abernethie, who has been a Dormen mentor virtually from the start of the project in 2005.
In the article, Matt says: “The Dormen scheme was a revelation. The mentor I had was really on the ball. In just a few hours of talking things through I learned so much – partly about the salon’s appearance and the importance of it to the client, but particularly about cutting costs and controlling costs. It was exactly what I needed – someone who was completely unbiased, who was asking me why are you doing that and have you thought about doing this?”
The Mar/Apr 09 issue includes features on two businesses which have Dormen mentors. Wellworths is the new Dorchester store, based in the old Woolworth’s premises, which has attracted so much media attention across the country. The manager of the store, Claire Robertson, now has a Dormen mentor, Valerie Stevens, to support her.
Another article features Honeybuns, the bakery near Sherborne, run by Matt and Emma Goss-Custard who are supported by Mike Collins, another very experienced mentor.
Emma says: “Mike Collins, the Dormen mentor, has been very good at challenging our thinking and helping us with a revised business plan, looking further forward than we might have done otherwise. We are now looking five to 10 years ahead.”
