The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program

Small Businesses Working Together for a Brighter Future

The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program

The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program is a SBA and government sponsored program for small businesses.

• It is under the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program • Participants involved are successful small business

owners (as mentors) and novice small business owners (as protégés).

• The program is designed to encourage and attract mentors that will provide assistance to disadvantaged firms (protégés).

• The program develops an established relationship between two small businesses owners that can help each other. Simply, it is a partnership between two businesses owners facilitated by the SBA.

The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program

• The partnership is bonded by a written agreement between the SBA, the mentor and the protégé. The SBA acts as an overseer of the program and the process.

• The program has four areas of coverage – management and technical, financial, public procurement, access and qualification for third party opportunities.

• In a nutshell, the SBA and the program goals are mostly centered on the protégé. Before the actual implementation, a customized program is made for the protégé that should be followed by the mentor.

Program Goals

The program’s goals include

• Equipping small business owners in running and maintain a small business

• Developing the protégée’s skills and capabilities for public procurement

• Assisting the protégés to be competitive, successful and contribute to their industry and over-all economy

Assistance/Benefits

1. Technical and management assistance – given using the mentor’s experience, expertise, capabilities and resources.

- Mentors are free to dispense all relative knowledge they have accumulated to the protégé to give them advantages in real-life situations.

Assistance/Benefits contd.

2. Tips and tricks in Contracting (particularly in Government Procurement)

- basic and technical aspect of procurement to the protégés.

- mentors can partner or join with their protégés in real procurement projects

- With the SBA, it is likely that the context of government procurement that will be worked on by both mentor and protégé.

Assistance/Benefits contd.

3. Financial assistance (loans and equity)

- a mentor firm can loan the protégé firm for its financial needs

- acquire some equity (or ownership of the protégé firm to help to raise capital or counter any financial problems that the protégé firm faces.

Assistance/Benefits contd.

4. Access and qualification for other opportunities.

- If the protégé firm shows promise and development during the course of the program, it can be eligible and qualified to other SBA programs.

- The SBA can also offer more assistance for the firm. Aside from the SBA, the mentor firm can recommend the protégé firm to other opportunities like corporate and private clients.

Getting In

Interested parties (both mentor and protégés) can search for information about this program on the SBA’s official site: sba.gov

• Information can also be gathered

from SBA offices. Enrollment and application to the program is also

handled by an SBA office, often

the SBA District Office.

• Both protégés and mentors need to apply and be approved by the SBA.

Getting In contd.

• The SBA binds the two parties with a written agreement. The agreement should specify the protégé’s needs that needed addressing and the mentor’s commitment to the partnership.

• The SBA only allows a one-to-one ratio of mentor and protégé. This approach is adopted to make sure that the partnership creates trust, understanding and support from each other.

• The partnership is reviewed yearly by the SBA to ensure its progress and success.

How to be a Protégé

• Protégés need to be in the developmental stage when applying to the Mentor-Protégé Program

• The firm’s owner should have no history of receiving a contract via the SBA

• The firm should have termination or suspension proceedings

• The firm’s size should be half or less compared to the

size of a small business in a particular industry

• The firm should have a good reputation in the SBA’s

view and complies with all reporting requirements

How to be a Mentor

In this program, a mentor is

• A small or large business owner

• A firm that finished or in a transitional the 8(a) BD program

• The firm should have a good finical health (or profitable) for the last two years or so

• A contractor to the federal government with a good reputation

How to be a Mentor contd.

• Can make the commitment to the protégé and the program for a year at least

• Able to support the protégé for at least a year, teach about matters involving small business management, the 8(a)

Business Development

program and government

contracting

SBA’s Role

• Provide an environment for both mentors and protégé

• Provide valuable resources like financial assistance

• Protégés and mentors are able to seek out other SBA programs that might benefit them

• Assess and respond to developmental needs of the program’s protégés

• Evaluate the progress and development of the partnership

SBA’s Role contd.

• Decline the program to a firm or a mentor for a protégé

• Notify the mentor of possible termination of the partnership

• Terminate the partnership