The Caribbean is home to innovative entrepreneurs with ideas that can potentially change the world. However, many of them lack the necessary guidance and resources to make their visions a reality. As a social enterprise committed to helping Caribbean entrepreneurs, Nudge introduced the mentorship program Nudge Up to Rise Up in collaboration with Mentorly.
Through this initiative, participants receive coaching, insights, and support from successful business owners in the region. Mentors get a valuable opportunity to make an impact on the lives of emerging entrepreneurs while mentees can develop and fine-tune their business ideas with their mentors’ expert guidance.
Nudge Up to Rise Up is a powerful collaborative network powered by the back end technology of Mentorly. It empowers aspiring business owners to help their peers succeed.
Nudge and Its Mentorship Program
Nudge describes itself as a “social enterprise that serves a community of approximately 200 entrepreneurs from three territories across the Caribbean region: Trinidad, St Lucia, and Barbados.”
The nonprofit was founded in 2020 by Trinidadians Anya Ayoung-Chee and Julie Avey. Anya is a successful fashion designer, design-thinking strategist, and social entrepreneur. Julie is the Senior Vice-President of People and Culture for The Massy Group, an investment holding company in Trinidad and Tobago.
Through their work with Nudge, they are cultivating Caribbean pride and empowering economic freedom by supporting rising entrepreneurs.
What Are Nudge Up to Rise Up’s Benefits?
Nudge Up to Rise Up is an important pillar of the organization that enables program participants to:
- Gain access to guidance and expertise from experienced and successful entrepreneurs in the Caribbean
- Build their capacity
- Refine their plans and strategies
Who Can Receive Mentorship?
Nudge Up to Rise Up is open to Nudge Entrepreneurs within the Caribbean whether they are starting their own business, are looking to improve their business performance, or need help scaling. Regardless of their individual skill sets or the number of years they’ve spent building their enterprises, program participants receive one-on-one coaching that is tailored and culturally aligned.
What Problems Does Nudge to Rise Up Solve With Mentorly?
Overall, Nudge wants to help business owners in the region build their companies, make meaningful contributions to their local communities, and make a bigger impact. Too often, they are held back because they don’t have sufficient resources, contacts, or access to knowledge that can help them.
Together with Mentorly, Nudge encourages the entrepreneurial community to come together and help one another. Its mentorship program solves the following problems:
Limited Professional Networks
Aspiring entrepreneurs are gifted with grand ideas but they need someone in a related field to lend them a helping hand. Through Mentorly, Nudge offers a network of accomplished experts and executives who have already achieved the goals they’ve set for themselves. By receiving advice from seasoned business professionals, mentees can accelerate their progress and achieve their business objectives faster.
Lack of Structured Support
Mentorship programs are filled with lofty goals that can be sometimes challenging to realize. Once you’ve assigned a mentor and mentee to work together, what comes next? How do you ensure that guidance is relevant, regular, and effective?
To address these common issues, Nudge invested in running their platform powered by Mentorly’s technology.
Using the platform allows program participants to select a mentor according to their needs or interests. Users can also submit feedback, ratings, and reviews. Moreover, Nudge tracks, measures, and creates analytical data, allowing Nudge to continuously improve the program’s dynamics, accessibility, and inclusiveness.
Why Mentorly?
Nudge found Mentorly a good cultural fit for their program.
“Attentiveness, customization, and a people-centered approach afforded us a platform that could grow and evolve as our own mentorship program does the same.”
Mentorly provides a structured framework that enhances the effectiveness of the mentorship. By working with Mentorly’s platform, NudgeUp has been able to overcome previous challenges and create a more structured and engaging experience for participants.
Powered by Mentorly, Nudge offers:
Streamlined Communication and Scheduling
One of the features that drew NudgeUp to Mentorly was its ability to streamline communication and scheduling between mentors and mentees. This feature made scheduling easier while allowing mentors and mentees to focus on having meaningful and effective sessions.
Data Tracking and Feedback
With Mentorly, NudgeUp has been able to enjoy enhanced data tracking. In addition, both mentors and mentees can provide timely feedback. This functionality has empowered both parties to ensure the effectiveness of their sessions.
Accessible Technology
The accessibility of Mentorly has been beneficial for entrepreneurs who may not have ready access to business mentors in their region. Mentorly bridges this gap, enabling aspiring businessmen and women to connect with industry leaders across the Caribbean and beyond.
Conclusion
With Mentorly, Nudge Up to Rise Up has a bright future. The mentorship program can quickly implement Mentorly’s structured approach in identifying the right mentors and scheduling productive sessions while allowing participants to offer timely feedback about their experiences.
Nudge summed up the program’s enhanced capabilities by saying, “Mentorly helps Nudge track and celebrate our program wins. As more users become active, I am eager to see how our entrepreneurs thrive through receiving tailored, credible support and to witness the ecosystem of mentors and mentees find fulfillment through this mentorship journey.”