Digital Boost’s Mentoring Platform is now available for white labeling
If you’re still running your mentoring programme with spreadsheets and emails, or you want to get the best content to small businesses in the moment they need it, our mentoring platform can help.
We built a powerful mentoring platform to fuel our volunteer-led small business support programme. It’s enabled thousands of mentoring and coaching connections to date, saving countless hours and manual intervention. Now we want to save others the effort!
We’re pleased to announce that a customisable version of the Digital Boost platform is now available to help you easily connect your community and enable knowledge sharing - while saving time and manual effort.
Mentor matching and reporting made easy
Our easy-to-use mentoring platform uses automation and smart matching to connect people at scale - while measuring performance and impact in real time.
Here are just a few of the features it brings:
- Self serve for users - no need for a middle man to arrange everything - save time and money.
- Smart matching - Matches are based on preferences users control.
- Automated scheduling - Send invitations, reminders, video call links, reschedule requests, and more.
- Secure messaging and data protection – no need for mentees and mentors to share emails or phone numbers.
- Content and event recommendations - feature the right content for the user in their moment of need.
- Robust tracking and measurement - users can track their activity; admins can monitor progress and quality in real-time.
- Customisation to fit the needs of your programme - branding, matching and more.
Let’s collaborate
Digital Boost is proud to work with leading partners and thousands of expert volunteers to run mentoring programmes and help people learn and grow. We’d love to partner with you. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help more small businesses together.
Krishna, founder of Mistry Lighting was creating innovative lighting design for restaurants when she lost her job due to Covid-19. She turned her passion for lighting and sustainability into a business, helping people create beautiful schemes for their homes. A Digital Boost mentor from BT helped Krishna create an Instagram following and get her business off the ground.
Krishna, an architectural lighting designer, wanted to pursue a career in theatre set design when she graduated ten years ago, but due to the recession jobs were hard to come by. Her sister encouraged her to try lighting design and within three months she landed a job at a lighting manufacturer, who taught her everything she needed to know about the fundamentals of design and how lighting works.
She moved on to work on major projects like Tottenham Stadium in London, a metro station in Riyadh and she has created atmospheric schemes for over 25 Nando’s restaurants, embracing their ethos on sustainability.
But restaurants aren’t opening due to Covid-19 and Krishna was made redundant last September. So, she took a chance and created a business of her own, Mistry Lighting, with a focus on domestic projects - because people are renovating. Competing with thousands of interior design and lighting companies, she has drawn heavily on her network and ethical ethos, seeking help to grow sales and attract a social media following.
A family friend sent her a link to Digital Boost, who provide unlimited mentorships via partners including Google, DCMS and BT. She had four mentoring calls, becoming more focused on an area of need as she went along.
Her connection with a mentor from BT was especially helpful. She guided Krishna on how to make Instagram work, the best use of hashtags, creating quality content, and analytics. Mistry Lighting now has over a thousand followers, including influencers, and a website is in development.
Krishna is the kind of person who can’t enter a room without looking up. She works with daylight to understand how much artificial light is needed. She is passionate about effects of light on mood, productivity, health, and well-being, especially in office and school spaces when we return. She is always learning and pushing technical and design boundaries, working with local artisans who create light out of recycled materials.
She said:
“Digital Boost has been brilliant. No-one around me has experience of building a business but now I want to help others to do it too.
I will be back to learn about branding and product development. If I become very successful, perhaps one day I can also be a mentor for Digital Boost!”
Every home is different and what you choose to put on your walls can give an intimate insight into your life and personality.
But if you choose to decorate your home with original art, the buying process can be intimidating. The art market is mysterious and unregulated. According to Liezel and Kitty, it’s the only industry where you can be made to feel like an idiot just for asking the price!
Founded in 2011 by Liezel with her husband Jon, the business is on a mission to democratise art, making it fair and available to everyone. She met Kitty in 2014 when they were both new mums living in the same apartment block in London. Truly the power of an accidental connection.
The two now co-curate an international and highly personal art collective featuring hand-picked artists. Both believe in the power of honest and transparent communication, whether it is with their artists, their clients, or each other.
Turning traditional male-dominated representation on its head, 70% of the artists supported are female. Clients are predominantly female too, and Kitty advises them to shop with their heart, their head, and their eyes, not purely for investment. Make an emotional connection and then imagine where the piece would sit in their homes. “Our dream clients”, she says, “are people who simply love art. We are bringing together artists and clients who wouldn’t otherwise connect.”
Liezel and Kitty had found a voice on Instagram, standing up for fair play for artists, but art is an irregular and highly considered purchase. So, they focused on attracting more people to the website, to browse and return when the time is right to buy. To increase their reach, Liezel and Kitty decide to invest in making the website more intuitive and self-sustaining through search engine optimisation (SEO). They needed insights they could use, having learned from experience that as a small business you couldn’t afford to make too many mistakes. That’s why they came to Digital Boost.
Digital Boost, who provide free business mentoring plus workshops and personalised resources for SMEs, were advertised in the weekly newsletter of Somerset House, where Subject Matter Art have their workspace. They connected with a mentor from Apple, clearly an art-lover, who gave them an invaluable lowdown on SEO strategy, with suggestions that were followed up by email. Another from Visa worked through very practical action points on the same topic. Between the two, they had a very clear direction, and a solid starting point. Kitty and Liezel then hired a specialist freelancer to make it work. Thanks to the Digital Boost mentors, they had shortcut a whole host of confusing online blogs, had confidence in their approach, and understood how to read success or failure in their SEO strategy.
Their immediate focus is to get SEO working to attract more website views, newsletter signups and Instagram followers. They already have plans to return to Digital Boost, to further improve their SEO expertise and then tackle the user journey, planning to connect with a UX expert.
Kitty reflects: “I have already recommended Digital Boost to a business group I mentor. My advice would be to be clear on exactly what you need to know and check that the mentor you connect with can help with that.”
Our volunteers are amazing and we wanted to recognise their hard work and dedication to our community this year. Our mentees voted and we're so excited to introduce you to our mentors of 2022! Come celebrate them here with us.
Sebastien G.
Helps with: Business Strategy
What our mentees say:
"Very useful information and a big 'to do' list at the end of our call. I very much appreciate Sebastian giving up his time to help me."
"A brilliant first interaction. Really helpful advice, the ideas for growth already started to roll."
Alejandro A.
Helps with: UX Design
What our mentees say:
"Alejandro is extremely helpful and I felt lucky to have him as my mentor. I was initially looking for guidance in cloud infrastructure and development, but Alejandro's masterful understanding of product development came in very handy in helping me prioritize my tasks. [...] Alejandro is always energetic and positive, and it is always a pleasure to chat with him. Would recommend him to anyone, 10/10!"
Allexia G.
Helps with: Content Creation
What our mentees say:
"She always goes the extra mile."
"Allexia was lovely, knowledgeable, answered all my questions, and went above and beyond in supporting our small business goals."
"Allexia was approachable, easy to ask questions to and took time to explain. I didn't feel like she was rushing the sesssion and she seemed to genuinely want to help."
Nick H.
Helps with Fundraising
What our mentees say:
"I honestly can’t thank you enough. That was the most valuable call I’ve had since we started the business. So objective and tangible advice. Nick totally understood where I was and not only gave me the direction I’ve been hunting for but the practical advice to take essential next steps to protect and grow the business. I have a new found spring in my step now! Thank you so much!"
James V.
Helps with: SEO
What our mentees say:
"James was a massive help. I really got a lot from the call."
"I enjoyed the session, and every single piece of advice he suggested was useful and actionable, and most importantly, he gave me the exact action plan and how to do it"
If you'd like to join our community of volunteers helping small businesses, click here.
Sarah set up Leeni's, an online store that stocks a curated collection of premium kidswear brands, in April 2021 after she had her daughter. 'I realised how hard it is to find good quality kids' clothes with unique and quirky designs and made from organic materials so I started to search until I found a number of great independent brands that tick all the right boxes but they were mostly overseas. And that's when the idea sparked in my head to bring those beautiful brands closer to families here in the UK.'
Leeni's is an online store that stocks a curated collection of premium kidswear brands. 'We encourage comfort, colours, fun prints and unisex designs to avoid labelling kids and to encourage them to express themselves freely. All the brands we work with only use organic natural materials and ensure sustainability and ethical practices.'
She said her proudest moment was actually turning the idea she had into reality! She also is continuing to learn and grow every day, something that she said Digital Boost has helped with: 'Digital Boost has been a lifesaver, especially in the early days when everything was still new and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right things! Marketing was, and still is, one of my obstacles and every time I feel stuck, I look for a mentor in Digital Boost to answer my questions. Digital Boost made it easy for me to find mentors with the experience or topics I wanted and it was very simple to book a session with them.' We're so happy we've been able to help, Sarah!
With over 5.5 million small businesses and counting since 2021, the UK’s small business economy is a huge asset to the UK. But in a challenging financial landscape, where 96% of small firms are concerned about rising energy bills* and the cost of living, the small business economy is under threat, perhaps even more so than during the pandemic.
SallyAnne Gibson, Beauty Director of Limisha Nails & Beauty Training
SallyAnne of Limisha Nails & Beauty Training in Romsey, Hampshire was one of those businesses facing such challenges. After her business ‘essentially collapsed’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, she restarted her business in March 2021, but has been struggling to keep it running in such a challenging climate. She said:
“I have some business experience, but I realised that in today's changing world, my experience was of little use, and I was beginning to sink financially and emotionally until I discovered Digital Boost...I am so grateful that I found them; in fact, I cannot express how grateful I am for their assistance. They have been mentoring me via video calls and are assisting me in understanding the entire business, including social media, websites, financing, and much more. I am finally looking forward to my business venture.”
Digital Boost, owned by leading educational charity Founders4Schools, is a free online mentoring and learning platform designed exclusively for small businesses. Unlike a traditional mentoring programme where SallyAnne would have been matched with a generalist mentor, Digital Boost quickly connected her to true industry experts in strategy, social media, website design, financing and more, meaning that every step of the way she was getting specific, personalised 1:1 advice for her business that she could action right away.
There’s a lot of noise out there for small businesses to wade through, with expensive programmes selling “expert” knowledge but falling short of getting businesses the results they so desperately need to stay afloat. Digital Boost cuts through this noise, matching businesses with industry experts for free - usually within 72 hours - and giving both small businesses and volunteers flexibility to fit sessions into their schedules.
The focus on the human is what makes Digital Boost unique, and it’s what attracts mentors like Nick from NatWest to the programme. When asked why he mentors with Digital Boost he said:
“Small businesses are the backbone of the UK” that provide “really important injections of money that every community up and down the country needs”.
“So before the pandemic, most days I was delivering workshops or conferences or interacting with different groups.” This all changed overnight so “when Digital Boost came along…it just felt ideal [and] meeting all those different founders that I’ve been lucky enough to work with has been really, really enjoyable and fulfilling.”
Thousands of mentors just like Nick, from other small organisations and global companies including EY, Mastercard, Bloomberg and Google, all volunteer their time at Digital Boost to support founders and give them expert help, all for free.
If you’re a small business or charity, Digital Boost can help you through this challenging time.
Interested in giving back to our small business community? We’re always looking for new volunteers to join our community and help us keep supporting small businesses! Our volunteering is fully flexible and easy to fit into your schedule, find out more here.
*Source: FSB, ‘Cost of Doing Business Crisis’, 20/09/2022
About Digital Boost
Digital Boost is a community of friendly volunteer experts who love to help small businesses and charities thrive. From building a website and launching digital advertising to developing a business strategy and finding funding, we make it easy for small businesses to connect with people who've done it all before - for free. Owned by the educational charity Founders4Schools, we are supported by a range of partners including the BCG Digital Ventures, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, NatWest Group, Bloomberg, and BT.
Get in touch
If you'd like to chat to us, click here.
Bringing Ossetian pies to the UK from his native Russia was a dream for Soslan Salamov. But potential customers were unaware of this unique food. So, with the free help of Digital Boost and mentors from BT, Bloomberg, Google and other companies, he created a website, a social media presence, and a mobile retail experience to tell his story. “To me it was brilliant to find Digital Boost. It is a great avenue to get to the right people who can give you the knowledge you need to grow your business.”
Salanti Pies is the realisation of a long-standing dream for its founders, Zarina and Soslan Salamov. When they began selling authentic Ossetian Pies, their customers soon realised this was not just delicious food, but an offering of fellowship going back thousands of years. What is lovingly recreated in their Buckinghamshire kitchen is a centrepiece on tables in Ossetia in the southwest of Russia, where the descendants of Persian nomadic tribes live. Steeped in tradition, the pies are served three at a time for celebrations, representing the unity of the sky, the earth, and the underworld. For funerals, one is removed to honour the departed. They are never far from the table when guests come to call.
Soslan had run a successful business consulting on UK education opportunities for twenty-five years. He then decided to create a different type of cultural exchange.
The range of ten pies are made only with locally sourced ingredients – various cheeses, potatoes, cabbage, beetroot leaf, pumpkin, beef mince – bursting from a thin bread pastry. Most are vegetarian, with some vegan options.
However, the family business faced a major challenge: how to raise awareness of Ossetian pies amongst potential customers? Soslan needed to design a logo, build a website, set up contactless payments and plan promotional campaigns. He turned to Buckinghamshire Business First, through whom he learned about Digital Boost.
Digital Boost provides free, unlimited 1:1 business mentoring and expert advice, workshops and digital training from volunteer experts, equipping business owners like Soslan with the knowledge and inspiration they need. IIn multiple sessions with experts from BT, Bloomberg, Microsoft, and others, Soslan explored how to create a digital platform for a new food business. He was impressed by the mentors, their professional approach, and the way they researched his business and showed great personal interest in his success.
An executive from BT suggested Salanti use fully equipped mobile vans to sell and promote Ossetian pies through festivals, farmers markets and fairs. Mentors from WH Creative and Google stepped in with productive sessions on digital promotion and hands-on ways to get the best out of Google Business Profile and the Salanti e-commerce website. An HR expert from Bloomberg helped him approach culinary colleges and bakery schools.
The work is ongoing, as customers need regular reminders of why Ossetian pies are so special. Social channels provide educational tips on how to reheat, keep and serve them, as well as background on how they are made and where they come from.
Soslan says “Ossetian pies are different, they help bring people together as a community."
Digital Boost, a leading technology platform that helps start-ups, small businesses and charities to grow through upskilling and mentoring, is delighted to announce the appointment of Angela Stathi as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board, effective today.
Working closely with the rest of the Board and the executive leadership team, Angela will offer support, challenge and governance as Digital Boost continues to grow and scale.
Angela will also contribute to Digital Boost’s Advisory Council alongside our partners, which include the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth, Natwest Group, Bloomberg, BT, Lloyds Banking Group, Tata Consultancy Services, Visa, BCG Digital Ventures and others.
A versatile professional with global executive, non-executive and entrepreneurial experience, Angela has held senior leadership roles in strategy, product development, business development and operations in the financial services and technology sectors for global asset managers (Schroders and BNP Paribas), credit rating agencies (Moody’s and Fitch) and tech scale-up companies. More recently, she held the position of CEO at Reload Greece, a business accelerator that helped entrepreneurs bring ideas to market. There she partnered with VCs, philanthropists, and the private & public sectors to help startups raise £20m+ investments and create 400+ new jobs. She is also an Advisor and Non-Executive for organisations in the fields of youth, sustainability, energy, and health, and an Expert for scale-ups at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). An Executive MBA graduate from London Business School and a Rising Women Leaders Scholar from Cambridge Judge Business School, Angela has British, Brazilian, and Greek nationality.
Angela said:
“I am incredibly excited to take on the role of Chair of the Digital Boost Board at this significant inflection point. It is a real privilege to be part of this organisation’s mission to help start-ups, small businesses and charities to improve productivity and drive inclusive economic growth.
Now, more than ever, with corporate social responsibility at the heart of every company's mission, the Digital Boost platform offers companies the opportunity to contribute to the economy and society by matching their private sector expertise to that of growing companies' needs.
I look forward to working with Karen, the esteemed board and partners to drive the organisation forward to the next stage of development, whilst ensuring value is maximised for all our stakeholders.”
Commenting on the appointment, Digital Boost Managing Director Karen Licurse said:
“It’s an exciting time for Digital Boost as we enter our second year of operations and continue to grow our offerings, team and partnerships. Angela’s deep experience in helping companies scale will be invaluable, as will her passion and commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
The Digital Boost Board also includes:
Russ Shaw, CBE, Founder, Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates
Gary Hanson, Retired partner, Country Coordinator for BDO US and Head of Cambridge
Grace Davey, Partner and Strategic Design Director, BCGDV
The Digital Boost Advisory Committee includes:
Alex Bishop, National Head of Dispute Resolution & Litigation, Shoosmiths
Katherine Brown, Vice President, Inclusive Impact & Sustainability, Visa Europe
Gary Coyle, Local Digital Skills Partnerships, DCMS
Tom Garvey, Strategy & Operations, Google
Cheryl Gourlay, National Women in Business Manager, NatWest Group
Sahar Hashemi, Entrepreneur and best selling author
Kerensa Jennings, Group Director of Digital Impact, BT
Caroline Rowley, Corporate Philanthropy, Head of UK, Ireland and Middle East, Bloomberg LLP
Joanna Santinon, Former Partner, EY
Priyanka Sethi, Head of Sales, Communication, Media, Education, and Information Services, Tata Consultancy Services
Phil Smith, Chair and Non-Exec Director and Chair of the Digital Skills Partnership, Chair IQE PLC. Retired CEO and Chair of Cisco UK and Ireland
Serpil Timuray, CEO Europe Cluster and Member of Group Executive Committee, Vodafone
Gemma Waters, Head of Digital Impact and Inclusion, Lloyds Banking Group
About Digital Boost
Digital Boost is a technology platform launched in 2020 that brings together those who work in small businesses and charities with a community of expert volunteers for free mentoring and personalised support. Owned by the charity Founders4Schools and supported by the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth, NatWest, Bloomberg LLP and many others, Digital Boost aims to enable inclusive economic growth and democratise access to expertise and support.
Dakoda’s Dance Academy is a well-established dance school that has been providing dance classes to the central London community for the last 10 years. They had a vision of diversifying and expanding the business to serve adults online with new services including yoga.
Robert Myers, Manager of Dakoda’s, set out to create a new umbrella brand and website showcasing a range of dance and lifestyle services. He had built, refined and re-built Dakoda’s original website and brand himself, using trial and error over (in Robert’s words) ‘a long, painful 10 years.’
This time, he wanted to get it right from the start and future-proof the operation as much as possible. He knew he couldn’t personally stay up to date on the latest developments in business strategy, website design, and digital marketing. So he sought help.
Robert had been working with the London Business Hub, who suggested he try Digital Boost. Digital Boost is a free platform for small businesses offering highly personalised advice, business mentoring, and learning support.
Robert had tried to find business mentors in the past but found that no one person could help with the many challenges he faced. That’s where Digital Boost came in – you don’t just get one mentor, but instead have unlimited access to 1000s of mentors, all specialists in their fields.
Robert has held one-to-one sessions with different Digital Boost experts in Business Strategy, Website Development, E-Commerce, Google Ads, A/B Testing, and more. Mentors from BT, Barclays, Visa, Bloomberg, and many smaller organisations helped him explore the art of the possible, design the site architecture, evaluate branding options, and much more.
This variety of input is one of the things Robert values most about Digital Boost: ‘It’s great to ask the same question to multiple people. You get different perspectives and a real sense of whether you’re on the right track.’
Robert says: ‘Digital Boost has sped up the process to success and saved me a lot of heartache. Talking to people at each step of the process is invaluable. You get immediate advice for situations that could have taken months to solve. I wish I’d had this service when I started my business 10 years ago!’
Since 2020, Mentor Black Business has existed as a resource for Black-owned businesses to thrive. Having collaborated with the likes of Google and Somerset House, they’ve connected countless emerging founders with industry mentors, and delivered invaluable training and workshops. Here, they recommend their top-recommended mentoring schemes, masterclasses and resources, especially for Black creatives and business founders across the UK, including Digital Boost!
Read the full article here.