Become a mentee

Who can apply?

• MDs, owners and partners of small and medium design agencies, as well as senior team members from medium to large sized agencies. The programme is open to DBA members and non-members.

What you get?

• One-to-one, face-to-face mentoring from a design industry expert over a 12 month period (a minimum of nine meetings recommended).
• Full development along with your mentor and other mentees (first training day at end of January, second training day in July).
• Continuous support from the DBA office and dedicated mentoring consultants as well as extensive guidance and resources.

How to apply

• Download a mentee application form and return it to Leanne Rupkus, Programmes Manager leanne.rupkus@dba.org.uk.
• Applications are currently closed for 2017; we will review and match cohort 8 applications in autumn 2017.
• Standard fee £2,750
• DBA members £1,500

Become a mentor

As a DBA mentor you will support an aspiring industry leader as they move their business from good to great. Your role will be to help them expand their ability to answer their own burning questions and support them to create a framework by which they can make fundamental decisions to drive their business forwards.

Give something back and nourish the growing talent in the industry. You’ll be able to take the skills you learn as a mentor back into your own business and make a significant difference to the development of your mentee in a relatively brief space of time.

What’s the commitment?

• Volunteer your time – a minimum of nine meetings of around an hour with your mentee over 12 months.
• Full development along with your mentee and other mentors (first training day at end of January, second training day in July).
• Continuous support from the DBA office and dedicated mentoring consultants as well as extensive guidance and resources.

How to apply

• Download a mentor application form and return it to Leanne Rupkus, Programmes Manager leanne.rupkus@dba.org.uk.
• We accept mentors throughout the year but cohort 8 kicks off in January 2018.

 Top 5 reasons to have a design industry mentor, in the words of our mentees.

1. Take time to focus on the business.

   “You spend so much time thinking about how to please your clients, and not nearly enough time focusing on the business itself. My mentor was able to put everything into perspective – being reflective yet forward focused at the same time.” 

2. Be guided by someone more experienced.

   “Finding someone with such a wealth of experience from the design industry who can give an objective viewpoint on you and your business is invaluable.” 

3. Define your goals.

   “The route to finding my goals was nothing like I expected. It involved being asked challenging questions and my mentor helping me to find the answers for myself.” 

4. Get energised.

   “I’m back to being excited about my business. I felt the wind had gone out of my sails but since having a mentor I feel happier, richer, invigorated, more confident and more focused.” 

5. Take your thinking to the next level and grow your business.

   “We’ve seen massive growth in the last 12 months: doubled our staff, implemented new systems and moved to a new office. Part of that was made possible by the tools I picked up from mentoring, and part from the sounding board of experience.”