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Which mode of support will have the best impact with your small business clients? 

Nomvuyo Bengane, Founder of BizOil Institute and Linda Dent, Owner of Just Ask Linda.

Nomvuyo Bengane, Founder of BizOil Institute and Linda Dent, Owner of Just Ask Linda.

As practitioners supporting small business clients, we have much to consider when deciding how to best support our clients. We may often ask ourselves, how do we go about helping our clients to best overcome their challenges? Which ways of support will have the most impact?

“What is fundamental in supporting people is the trust we create,” says Nomvuyo Bengane, Founder of BizOil Institute and panelist on the upcoming episode of the Small Business Development Practitioner Webinar Series. “The rest will follow, as it is our job as business support practitioners to help them validate their own knowledge of their environment and understanding of themselves; and offering them guidance and information where it is lacking,” she says.

Bengane will share during the upcoming webinar how practitioners may understand their options in the way they support their clients so that they can help their clients to understand that there is a lot they already know, which a supportive practitioner does not know much about. “It is not true that the support practitioner needs to impart knowledge all the time. There are some things clients know themselves and their circumstances better than we as supporters do,” she says.

According to Bengane it is the task of the practitioner to be transparent with their clients about the options in the way they may be supported, which implies that the practitioners need to have a clear understanding of how their support may shift between being a consultant, a mentor or a coach.

You may join the upcoming episode of the SEDA, IBASA & EPI Business Development Practitioner Webinar Series to learn from two experienced practitioners, who understand the practical context of small business operations.

 

Join the upcoming CPD Webinar

WHEN: Thursday 14 October 2021

TIME: 11h30 to 13h00

WHAT:  Practitioners may join the upcoming episode of the SEDA, IBASA & EPI Business Development Practitioner Webinar Series to learn from two experienced practitioners, who understand the practical context of small business operations: Linda Dent, Owner of Just Ask Linda and Nomvuyo Bengane, Founder of BizOil Institute.

WHERE: << BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE >>

Linda Dent, Owner of Just Ask Linda and the second panelist on the webinar says it is important for practitioners to understand what the value is they offer their clients. Some may be trained as professional coaches while others may offer mentoring support based on their own experiences. “My experience comes from the banking industry rather than a qualification,” she says. “I am a small business owner myself, so I can understand where a business owner is coming from.”
Dent works with small business owners through one-on-one support as well as in groups such as through training workshops. ­­­­“In my work, I offer a combination of being a consultant, mentor, coach, and cheerleader of my small business clients, so I am aware that how I switch my hats is an important consideration in giving my clients the best support. Dent will reflect on her practical experience in the “switching of hats” between the different modes of support so that attendees of the webinar may apply awareness of the modes of support in their own work.

“The line between the different modes of support is really thin, which results in people misunderstanding how coaching is different from other forms of support such as mentoring and advising,” says Bengane, “which is what we’ll clarify in the webinar.

 

  • To join the upcoming CPD webinar you can << REGISTER HERE >>.
  • Christoff Oosthuysen is the webinar host, Founding CEO of the Entrepreneurial Planning Institute (EPI) and General Partner at Seed South Capital.

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