Business Mentoring Scheme

Paula is a trusted specialist in providing learning and development solutions for businesses in International Finance Centres. Her expertise in learning and development is underpinned with a Diploma in Tertiary Teaching as well as successfully delivering organisational change programmes. Paula has a Henley MBA in Strategic Management, the IoD Diploma in Company Direction and is an experienced Management Consultant. She currently holds a number of Non-Executive Director roles and is Chair for the Guernsey Scout Association (receiving the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2019).

As a life time learner, Paula has developed a range of business skills and include:

• Go-to-market strategy
• Product development/refinement
• Pitching
• Customer Experience Management

Simon is an entrepreneurial polymath who loves the world of IT start-ups. My present focus is leading 'Duforest AI' which specialises in AI and IT consultancy and training, with a focus on NLP, ChatGPT, GPT, ML, DL, and Harmonic Analysis.  His wealth of venture building skills include:

• Early stage and product development
• Software & app development
• Raising finance / investment
• Pitching
• Exiting

A perfect match for tech startups at any stage of growth. 

Jon has been self employed for nearly 40 years mostly in the publishing/media and event sector, working closely with Sony, Red Bull, Nokia, Animal, Swatch, Switzerland Tourism and numerous others on the promotion and development of their markets via multi platform promotion and event placement.  More recently in large scale sports and music event creation and management for International Brands.  His range of venture building skills include: 

• Early stage development
• Marketing / Branding
• Building teams & human resources
• Raising-finance

Perfect match for startups, particularly in arts and entertainment or looking to start a charity / NPO.

Since 2004 Clive and Nicola have been running an event, design and digital agency specialising in corporate clients' requirements for conferences, meetings, incentives, award ceremonies, activities and celebrations.  These have been live, virtual and hybrid events alongside stand alone marketing and design requirements.  Their range of venture building skills include:

• Early stage and product development
• Marketing / communicating with the customer
• Branding, design and advertising
• Pitching

This duo would be the perfect match for early stage startups.

Nichole manages the business and leads all client services at Black Vanilla. She has worked in the public relations industry for over 30 years and works alongside senior management teams to deliver stakeholder mapping, reputation building campaigns, crisis management and internal communications.  As well as working in-house and in one of the UK’s largest agencies she set up and ran her own boutique PR company in London.  Her venture building experience includes: 

• Early stage business development
• Marketing and communicating with the customer
• Building teams and human resources
• Pitching and go-to-market strategy

Nichole would be an ideal match for startups at the ideas stage and fledgling businesses with growth ambition. 

Nicholas’ experience and background stems from the sales, operations and management of a financial regulated business as the proprietor of a leading UK based leasing company for over 25 years.  Having a keen interest in the finance, fintech and blockchain sectors, he now works as a freelance consultant, advisor and non-exec director for various early and mid-stage organisations.  His venture building experience includes: 

• Raising finance / investment
• Strategic partnership development
• Go-to-market strategy and sales
• Operations

Nicholas would make an ideal match for startups in digital and finance. 

Leo has been an independent consultant for over six years with a wealth of experience in applying trends and futures thinking, as well as human and cultural insights to drive strategic growth and innovation.  His venture building experience includes: 

• Early stage development
• Branding
• Strategy & Innovation 
• Navigating the world of freelancing and consultancy

Leo would be a good match for creative entrepreneurs and startups with growth ambition. 

Luke has been involved in hospitality businesses for 16 years including being owner operator of Hojo restaurant and the Bella Luce Hotel and Spa.  In 2015 he founded Wheadon's gin and launched the product in 2016, which became the Channel Islands Liquor Company in 2019 with sites in Guernsey and Jersey.  They are the largest liquor company in the Channel Islands and now have multiple award winning products which we have put into the local markets as well as into export.  His venture building experience includes: 

• Early stage development
• Product development
• Marketing / communicating with the customer
• Branding
• Pitching
• Go-to-market strategy

Luke is fascinated with new ideas, product and entering into the market.  He would make an ideal match for passionate startups who are developing new food and beverage products. 

A professional investor in early-stage digital tech businesses. Marc has a passion for helping founders on their business journeys and a wealth of experience building businesses, including:

• Early stage development
• E-commerce
• Marketing / communicating with the customer
• Branding
• Raising finance / investment
• Pitching
• Go-to-market strategy

A great match for ambitious entrepreneurs at early-stage development, particularly in the digital space.

Sarah has extensive experience in e-commerce and building businesses.  Keen to help mentees overcome struggles of starting a new business, her range of venture building skills include: 

• Early stage development
• Product development
• Marketing and communicating with the customer
• Branding, design and advertising 

Perfect match for early stage startups, especially those with a focus in fashion, design or e-commerce areas. 

Paul has a background in law with a demonstrated history of building and leading international teams.  As a venture capitalist, his main focus is investing in cyber security startups.  Paul’s venture building experience includes: 

• Early stage business development
• Operations, including building teams and human resources
• Raising finance
• Pitching

Paul would be a great match for tech startups looking to scale. 

Tom spent ten years working in private equity fund administration locally and qualifying as a Chartered Secretary before moving into yachting and completing in Msc in Corporate Governance.  Tom co-founded Oceanskies & Oceanskies Crew in 2013 and in 2020 led the initiative to create Viking Crew as a joint venture.  More recently, he has been heavily involved in creating digital platforms for the marine industry and transitioning from service business to SaaS.  Tom’s venture building experience includes: 

• Corporate governance
• Accounting
• Digital products and pricing
• Go-to-market strategy

With a very keen interest in creating scalable digital platforms, Tom would welcome a match with startups who need help going to market.

Simon is a strategy consultant with an MBA.  His experience in IT and operations means that he can help startups make informed decisions about the technology needed for digital first businesses.  Simon can also advise on the use of data - how to manage, use, report and visualise it.  Simon is able to help organisations manage their portfolio of projects and work from the organisation to individuals.  His venture building experience includes:

• Early stage development
• Product development
• Software / app development
• Testing MVPs
• Building teams and human resources

Simon would welcome a match with startups, charities or NPOs who would like to build a digital-first venture.

Aaron founded his own creative business, www.digitalmotionworkshop.com, three years ago, having gained extensive experience in advertising, design and marketing industries. Previous employers include Twitter, ITV, Sky Entertainment & News, New Scientist and Healthspan, with areas of expertise ranging from social media activation and design, customer engagement and brand strategy. Aaron’s venture building experience includes:

• Pitching
• Branding
• Marketing
• Business strategy

Aaron would be a good match for any business (especially creative ones) looking to extend their reach and grow. 

One of Guernsey’s leading PR professionals, Brooke has 20 years of experience working with top brands and advising on all aspects of strategic communications – she is a big-picture thinker who will deliver impactful ideas and effective, structured campaigns. Brooke boasts a strong local industry-wide and London PR network.  Her venture building experience includes:

• Marketing / communicating with the customer
• Building teams and human resources
• Pitching
• Business strategy

Brooke would be a good match for anyone looking to grow their audience and extend the reach of their business.

Daniela has experience running her own business, leading and managing people, working in education, aviation, and currently working for an off-shore fund management firm. She has an MBA in business administration from Durham University Business School, with areas of interest ranging from marketing and branding, to management consultancy and technology innovation. Her venture building experience includes:

• Communicating with the customer
• Operations management
• Building teams

Daniela would be a good match for establishing businesses looking to extend their reach and grow.

Kai has a long standing self employed background in tourism, working with international and local businesses.  He also has extensive experience in the finance industry, with a newly established Broker business as his current venture.  Kai’s venture building experience includes:

• Early stage development
• Product development 
• Marketing
• Communicating with customers

Perfect match for startups who are looking to develop their offering or who are expanding into new areas.

Rollo has 20 years of marketing and business development experience and describes himself as the ‘Swiss-army knife’ of marketing.  His venture building experience includes: 

• Marketing strategy & planning
• Product development
• Branding
• Sustainability
• Go-to-market strategy

Perfect match for startups at the ideas stage and fledgling businesses with their first few customers. 

Simon has extensive experience as a venture capitalist and in building online businesses.  Keen to help mentees develop their business skills, his range of venture building skills include: 

• Software/app development
• E-commerce
• Building teams & human resources
• Raising-finance
• Pitching

Perfect match for startups at any stage of growth. 

Vincent has over 20 years of experience in the technology space, creating go-to-market strategies and refining product/market fit. He has worked across global markets, building out sales teams to create B2B product success. Currently Vincent is the Managing Director of Intragistics - a company developing and marketing low-code development tools, UI controls, embedded analytics and workspace teams productivity solutions. His venture building experience includes: 

• Product offering
• Go-to-market strategy and sales
• Building teams

Perfect match for product focused tech startups in the B2B arena at fledgling businesses with their first few customers.

Participating in the mentorship program has truly been an enlightening and invaluable experience for me. As someone navigating the early stages of my business in the creative space, there are often moments of doubt and uncertainty that can be quite overwhelming. However, having the opportunity to connect with a mentor who operates in the same creative field has been a game-changer.

My mentor has been an incredible source of guidance and support, drawing from his wealth of experiences and the challenges he, too, encountered when establishing his own business. His insights and advice have not only illuminated the path forward but have also provided me with the reassurance that even the toughest challenges can be overcome with determination and the right perspective.

"Our scale up mentor has had a tangible impact on our business through encouraging us to push far outside our comfort zone.  We signed up for a big trade show and within the next few days will be on the other side of a new experience. Hopefully, with hundreds of new leads to follow."

"I attended the Digital Greenhouse's Starting Up Saturday event earlier this year and it was an excellent experience for me, it helped me define the size and scope of my business and helped me create a plan for the future. The subsequent mentorship scheme that they provided has been absolutely transformative. It allowed me to refine my idea into something focused, realistic and incredibly practical. Within just a few months I've been able to soft launch and am already seeing very exciting results. I would recommend these programs for anyone interested in creating or developing their own start-up ideas."

"Being part of the scale up business mentoring scheme has been invaluable.  It's offered us the opportunity to take a step back and objectively review our development plans with the valued input and support of industry leaders.  In doing so, we've become far more aware of which steps we should take to prioritise our growth."

You can hear more about Dan's mentoring experience in this podcast with Amanda Eulenkamp at the Guernsey Press.  Dan talks about his health journey, his business journey, his mission to help us sleep better, and how the Digital Greenhouse is helping him realise that vision.

Listen now

“Our mentor has shared lots of valuable insights and ideas from his own experiences, which have helped us evaluate our current position and understand where best to focus our efforts.

As an example, in a short space of time, we’ve already benefited from him emphasising the importance of focussing on and incorporating the right KPIs – and being disciplined about referring to them. This has really helped us keep focussed on the important, long-term goals we have, rather than just responding to the every-day minutiae that can easily eat up time.”

“Our mentor has been a great sounding board as we strategise scaling our business. As Innovest is creating solutions at the cutting edge of the newly evolving field of impact measurement and management, we have benefitted from Blenheim Chilcot’s breadth of experience with bringing new technology and other innovative offerings to market.”

"The business mentoring scheme was a life and business changing experience for me. Without meeting my mentor, I would be still in my old ways in my business and I would never start thinking big and in a different way. It gave me so much more than improving my business. It helped me to get to know myself more and what I am really capable of achieving. Success is 5% Strategy and 95% Mindset and I got help with both through the mentorship programme."

"I started the Digital Greenhouse's mentoring scheme just a few weeks after establishing my business. It could not have come at a better time! Nichole's mentorship was indispensable in the launching of my business, giving structure and direction to my ideas and operations, all the while being patient and understanding, providing much-needed moral and practical support throughout all of the inevitable entrepreneurial ups and downs. Being a one-man band, this meant a lot. Things went from feeling at times haphazard and overwhelming to being ordered, and feeling manageable and surmountable. Without Nichole's mentorship, the company would not be what it is today. I have endless gratitude to both Nichole and the Digital Greenhouse for their support."