Non-financial
Services

Our added-value services provide an integrated solution for you, catering for all aspects of your business needs. These include consulting and mentorship services, offered through a database of highly skilled business and industry specialists.

Technical Assistance
Programme

Many business failures can be attributed to financial, management and reporting factors that can ordinarily be addressed through mentorship and technical assistance support throughout a business’s life cycle. It is for this reason we provide technical assistance through expert consultants to help business owners navigate the many challenges they face in their business journey and close the skills gap that may exist within a business.

Through this Technical Assistance Programme, we provide access to the skills and support a business owner needs when they need it.

The Technical Assistance Programme is only available to existing and new Business Partners International clients and the cost of the services offered is charged at a zero-interest rate. Technical assistance is coupled to the finance deal, repayable over the term of the said finance deal. The Technical assistance funding may not exceed 30% of the original finance received from Business Partners International.

Note: If you are not a Business Partners International client, please consider our Mentorship Support Service for support.

General business technical assistance and consulting

This covers advice and assistance with basic and practical functions, coaching, problem diagnosis, customised solutions and implementation assistance, e.g., allowing a seasoned mentor or skilled consultant to review your business performance to maximise on opportunities or resolve problems.

Specialist technical assistance and consulting

This includes specialised assistance with specific management functions such as budgeting, marketing, credit control, cash flow management, accounting, and taxation. It may include improving business performance through ISO certification or even HACCP compliance for those businesses exporting products abroad.

Sectoral technical assistance and consulting

This is industry specific assistance involving support with expertise in the sector, e.g., manufacturing, hospitality, transport, or construction.

Turnaround solutions

This is for business owners experiencing difficulty in their businesses and assistance would be for turning the business around to profitability, usually through a mentor or independent consultant.

Training of any employees of a portfolio company

Assistance provided involves training staff in the business, either through group or one-on-one sessions with the view to enhancing capacity, e.g., training for optimum use of plant and equipment, maximising efficiency or even specific software programme training.

STEP 1

APPLY

Applying for technical assistance can be done in two ways. Either as part of your finance application, where you and the member of our investment team assisting with the process identify the need for technical assistance services and include the application along with your finance application OR if you already are a client, you can submit a separate application to the investment team member managing your portfolio.

STEP 2

EVALUATE AND SELECT A MENTOR/SERVICE PROVIDER

Once your technical assistance application is duly assessed and approved, we will present you with a choice of appropriate mentors, or service providers, from which you may make a final selection.

STEP 3

INITIAL MEETING

Once you have selected a mentor or service provider, we will prepare and submit a comprehensive Terms of Reference to them. The mentor or service provider will in turn meet with you to confirm the Terms of Reference and to finalise the timeframe, costs, and related matters.

STEP 4

CONTRACTING

If all parties reach an agreement, you will enter into a contractual agreement with Business Partners International.

STEP 5

POST ASSIGNMENT REVIEW

After the technical assistance has run its course and the business intervention is complete, the mentor or service provider is required to submit a payment form to Business Partners International. For this form to be submitted your signature is required to acknowledge the assignment was completed to your satisfaction. We will then settle the payment with the mentor or service provider.

STEP 6

REPAYMENT

Once the process is complete and the mentor or service provider has been paid by Business Partners International, you will then be required to start repaying the technical assistance loan under the terms and conditions mentioned in step 4.

The Technical Assistance Programme complements the new and existing client’s loan and as such the application request will be assessed as part of the finance deal. Enquiries can be made to the investment team reviewing your application and/or managing your portfolio.

Mentorship
Support Service

Our support of entrepreneurs goes well beyond finance and our Mentorship Support Service is one way we provide business support. The Mentorship Support Service links senior business and professional people with business owners in a mentorship relationship aimed to share business expertise, technical skills, and wisdom and assist business owners to improve the efficiency, profitability, and growth of their businesses.

The business and professional people participating in the programme are carefully selected individuals who are successful in their business or careers and are committed to provide a service of a high standard and quality.

The services provided are available to all entrepreneurs including non-Business Partners Limited clients at a fee commensurate with the complexity of the entrepreneur’s business development needs.

Counseling

The mentor fulfils the role of a business counsellor to the business owner and supports the business owner with the full spectrum of functions of managing a business, depending on the nature and size of the business and the expertise of the mentor. Apart from advising on and assisting with basic and practical functions of management, the mentor gets involved in problem diagnosis, investigations, formulating solutions, recommendations, appropriate actions, coaching, implementation, and follow-up.

Specialised assistance

Consultants are made available to provide specialised assistance with a specific management function such as budgets, administration, credit control, cash flow, information systems, marketing, human resources, production, and other business activities such as expansion, construction, installing a new plant or an accounting system where specialised expertise which is not available internally, is needed for a short period of time.

As far as possible, we match the consultant or mentor with the appropriate expertise and skills to the needs of the business.

Industry sectoral assistance

Consultants or mentors with specific knowledge of a certain type of business may be required for sectoral assistance, such as someone who has experience with restaurants, garages or in the manufacturing sector. In cases like these, we assign the right consultant or mentor with the proven experience and skills, to assist.

Turnaround solutions

Consultants or mentors may be required to get involved in businesses in financial trouble, to assist in turning these businesses around to profitability.

This is usually a short to medium term intensive service which requires out-of-the-ordinary arrangements with all parties concerned.