56Strong will connect women entrepreneurs and business leaders from all of Montana’s 56 counties through a mentorship program.
The program will be facilitated by Chris Carter and Shayna Blaser with the MT Women’s Business Center.
The goals of this mentorship program are to:
- Bridge the gap between the urban and rural divide
- Support female entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses
- Increase female businesses across the state of Montana
- Help women gain access to capital
- Support and build resiliency amongst female professionals
The program will run for six months with a virtual kick-off meeting in January and a virtual conclusion meeting in June. The expectation is that mentors and mentees will meet monthly for about one-hour between February and June. The meeting times and days will be set by the mentors and mentees.
This program is FREE to all participants. The value of the program is approximately $3,000 per mentee.
Applications to participate in 56Strong are due by Dec. 17, 2021.
MENTEE
A mentee is an individual who receives advice, assistance, and feedback from a more experienced person over a set period of time, resulting in the enhancement of the mentee’s knowledge and development.
Requirements to be a mentee:
- Must be a woman located in Montana
- Must be 21 years or older
- Must be able to dedicate ~1-2 hours per month to the program
- Must be open to feedback and learning from someone else
Here’s how to get started:
- Complete the Mentee application by December 17, 2021
- You will be asked for your Meyers Briggs Type Indicator on the application to help us in the matching process. You can take the free assessment at this link:  http://www.humanmetrics.com/pe…
- Participate in a 30-minute Zoom interview so we can get to know you better – your career goals and current challenges that this program can help you with
MENTOR
A mentor’s role is to serve as a guide, helping a mentee to navigate transitions, sharing insights around others’ perceptions, encouraging her mentee to expand her skills, leading mentees in personal exploration, and challenging mentees with fresh ideas. A mentor shares wisdom so that the mentee can learn from the life experiences of the mentor.
Requirements to be a mentor:
- Must be a woman located in Montana with 50% business ownership or a C-Suite executive
- Must have 5+ years experience as an owner or in the current business field
- Must be able to dedicate ~1 hour per month to the program
- Willing to share experiences, offer advice and provide direction
- Has a proven track record of effective decision-making skills
- A good listener who can help her mentee address problems and offer guidance
Here’s how to get started:
- Complete the Mentor application by December 17, 2021
- You will be asked for your Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on the application to help us in the matching process. You can take the free assessment at this link:  http://www.humanmetrics.com/pe…
- Participate in a 30-minute Zoom interview so we can get to know you better – your experience, your knowledge, and the areas in which you can help a mentee
Please note: we recruit 20% more mentors than we need for the program to match each mentee’s need. If you are not matched in this program cohort, we will keep your information on hand for future program participation.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 56strong@prosperamt.org