The people who help us in the early days are often the ones we remember later.

I would like to start my first blog of 2012 with a quick quiz which has no prizes and no need for you to dash to your nearest search engine for the answer...

Question 1: Who was the first President of Uzbekistan?

Question 2: Who was your favourite school teacher?

I bet everyone at least has a score of 50%, but hands up out there how many of you had 100%.

So, what is the point of the quiz in relation to business in Scotland today? I will explain later.

As we enter 2012, I have no doubt that no matter what steps  are taken by Holyrood, Westminster, Brussels or beyond, there is a massive role for the micro to small sized enterprise to play if Scotland is to have a  sustainable path to recovery.

Beyond simply encouraging more people to start and grow their businesses, there is an important step that everyone in the business community can take to help the growth potential and sustainability of small enterprises.

Passing on your experiences and knowledge through formal or perhaps informal mentoring can be a great way to support a new or growing small business. Apart from doing a lot of good, it also works wonders for your own learning and sense of satisfaction.

One individual who can vouch for the value of this support is Walter Smith, who has been a Volunteer with the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) for the last four years. He is a mentor to up to four businesses at any time in Ayrshire and beyond.

Walter has helped a variety of businesses, and many have gone on to grow turnover, profit and their number of employees.

One example is Bank Street Auto Clinic in Irvine who started to trade in 2009 and have gone on to employ an additional three people.

Would this have happened without Walter’s support?  I’m not convinced that it would.

One of the biggest issues faced by all small businesses is learning how to manage a business, and not to just work in the business. Having a mentor can help you realise that this is vital to growth.

Any business when starting out or looking to grow will encounter completely new challenges – being able to call upon someone who can share that challenge and help look for the solutions is worth its weight in gold.

The work of the volunteer mentor is not done to seek reward or return on investment –their motivation is purely to find what is best for the individuals and the business in question.

Now back to my initial quiz question on Uzbekistan.  The country’s first President was Islam Karimov.

I believe that the people who make the biggest impact on your life and become strong memories for ever are not always the ones, like the international statesman, who we learn about in the course of our formal education.

What does have an impact is the support that we receive from someone who is willing to spend time to help us in a time of need. 

I am pretty sure that in 30 years time Chris and Hayley from Bank Street Auto Clinic will be able to tell you who helped them with their business in the early days,  just as you are able to remember your favourite school teacher today.