Your pro bono work matters!

Research shows 92% of small businesses will trust each other more than the mainstream - therefore we are often found to be helping each other out, signposting, advice, and guidance - reciprocity is alive and well in small business land. So much so that I co-founded a swap shop of business-to-business support during the pandemic that ran for 3 years - all totally for free. I still support other budding business owners through a range of memberships - everyone needs a helping hand, and I learn a lot about business too.
However, a small business can not live on pro-bono (or swaps) alone, they do not pay the bills. So I cap what I do and when, and always ask for something in return ie, help for a friend, a testimonial, an introduction etc.

We regularly provide advice and assistance to our clients on a pro bono basis, we see it as a part of our offering. Competitor brokers often ask us why we do this but if you can help clients in tricky circumstances the payback soon comes we find in the form of repeat actual business and referrals to friends, family, etc. Examples that we have recently carried out are assisting clients with their mortgage account that was in arrears and the lender was looking at repossessing the property, we offered mediation work with the lender, guidance to the clients on legal technicalities, and ways to present their evidence and what a District Judge expects to see you doing under such circumstances. Properties, with correct handling, don't simply get repossessed - there is usually a way through to navigate. We have also recently dealt with the death of a mortgage account holder and removing the deceased's name from the mortgage and advising the beneficiaries on a declaration of trust.

Over the past years, I have given hundreds of hours of pro bono mentoring and coaching to founders and start-up CEOs. I find it a meaningful way to support those who work to build a better world for us, and there are very few places that are lonelier than being a start-up founder and CEO.

The investment in time has been a significant one for me, however, I get so much energy and inspiration from these conversations. I have gotten to know fantastic people and learned about various industries, their challenges, and their upcoming innovative solutions. In addition, it has built me a significant international network and brand in the start-up ecosystem as an expert in pitching and as a personal coach. I'll always be the one that stands in the founder's corner.

If you are reading this as someone with relevant knowledge and experience - give some of it away. It's one of the few things in life that give you both short-term and long-term returns from the minute you start.

I am a volunteer business mentor working for Virgin Start up. I have been lucky enough to mentor two outstanding mentees - Ruby and Milly from By Ruby who make premium frozen ready meals. We started working together on a probono basis with my helping them review their business, improve their route to market and also review the profitability of their range. At the end of the mentoring period, they asked me to join them as NED and I received a few shares. Not long after, Charlie Bigham approached them with a proposal to acquire the business and my shares were sold with a small premium. I learnt alot from working with them about the frozen ready meal market that was also useful in my future projects with clients. I also offer at least one pro bono mentoring package a year and i do find that I learn alot from the mentees which gives me inspiration and experiences to enhance my paid work