BUILDing Professionals


For more details about mentoring in Oakland, please contact Brianne Fitzgerald, bfitzgerald@build.org

For more details about mentoring on the Peninsula, please contact Hillary Aitken, hillary@build.org

For more details about mentoring in DC, please contact Dennis Campbell,                   dcampbell@build.org


Our program does more than teach students about business. Students learn the difference between being an entrepreneur and being an employee, between chatting with friends on the street and presenting to business people in a conference room. They learn how to be professional and how to succeed.

Mentoring

Changing Teens into Entrepreneurs


On the surface as a BUILD Mentor, you allow our students to create and implement their business plans. On a deeper level, your guidance and motivation helps to transform their raw talent into entrepreneurial know-how.

Our Mentoring program works like this:

E1 Mentors

E1 Mentors provide guidance and facilitate teams of 3-5 students in their efforts to define a business idea and write a business plan. The year culminates in a business plan competition before a panel of judges from leading Bay Area academic, business, and investment communities. Mentors work in conjunction with BUILD staff and teachers to round out our students’ business plan projects.

Incubator Mentors

Incubator Mentors work with a team of 1-5 students who have funding to implement business plans developed during the first year of the program (E1). Mentors serve as active advisors in their company’s initiation and growth.

Responsibilities

  • Attend one evening meeting per week either at one of BUILD’s partner high schools (E1 Mentors) or at the BUILD Office (Incubator Mentors)
  • Guide students in the development of a business concept
  • Assist students with goal setting and business implementation
  • Coach students in various small business practices and familiarize them with Microsoft Office Software (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
  • Chaperone market research expeditions, vendor/supplier visits and other business related trips
  • Pro-actively communicate with BUILD staff regarding student and business progress
  • Attend mentor orientation and training sessions

Desired Skills

  • Desire to work with under-resourced youth with plenty of potential
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people
  • Reliable, dedicated, and able to model professionalism for students
  • Patient, flexible, and able to master concepts "on the fly"
  • Working knowledge of basic business concepts, including financial statements
  • Small business or entrepreneurial background a plus!

Time Commitment

  • Weekly time commitment: 1.5-2 hours
  • Periodic time commitment: mentor orientation, mentor training, student team retreats, field trips (attend/chaperone as available)

Want to learn more about mentoring with E1? To mentor on the Peninsula, contact Hillary Aitken, BUILD’s Peninsula Site Director, hillary@build.org To mentor in Oakland, contact Brianne Fitzgerald, bfitzgerald@build.org.  To mentor in DC, contact Dennis Campbell, dcampbell@build.org. Interested in mentoring a team in the Youth Business Incubator? Contact Adriana Garcia to mentor in Oakland, agarcia@build.org. Contact Rey Faustino, Incubator Manager, at rey@build.org.

To formally apply to be a mentor, download the mentor application for the 2008-2009 academic year.