Bob Cooperrider Verizon Digital Ready Mentor
- English
How I can help
My professional background
I have a quite varied history. I was first a primary school teacher. Then I built and managed my farm production, processing, and marketing business. After teaching myself computer programming I consulted with agribusinesses creating, installing, training, and supporting their accounting and budgeting software. Then I became a manager of a software development group for a large corporation. Now in retirement I am a volunteer with the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program training businesses and cooperatives throughout the world in business and financial management, crop production, post harvest handling and processing, and in farm mechanization. I am also a long time mentor with the Mercy Corp MicroMentor program. I have considerable experience training business leaders and am looking forward to mentoring you as you grow your business.
How to work with me
What I can offer
I can help you develop and improve the profitability of your existing business enterprise. I mentor entrepreneurs worldwide. I have experience as a business manager, teacher, accountant, and software development manager.
My expectations for a successful mentoring relationship
I work with entrepreneurs that have AT LEAST ONE YEAR OR MORE of operation of a business and need help in analyzing how they can make the business sustainable and profitable. We have once a month conversations in which we look at your current situation, issues you are having, and possible solutions for any problems. Then I ask that you identify two or three actions you will work on during the following month. In the next conversation we discuss your progress. In the US, Mexico, and Canada we communicate via a phone call or Zoom. In all other countries we communicate using WhatsApp, Skype, or other Internet based app. You will need sufficient phone credits for each hour long monthly call.
IMPORTANT! If you do not have AT LEAST ONE YEAR of operation of your enterprise please search for a mentor that specializes in working with starting businesses. They can help you develop a business plan and cash flow budgets to help you get a good start. Then after your first year of operation if you need assistance in planning for growing the business please contact me and we can discuss the possibility of a mentoring relationship.
Here are some resources for creating a Business Plan and a Two Year Cash Flow Budget for starting your business.
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- Business Plan Resources - - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22business+plan%22
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- Cash Flow Budget Resources - - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22cash+flow+forecast%22
Here are resources for preparing an Income & Expense Statement and Balance Sheet for your most recent year of production:
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- Income and Expense Statement - - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22business+income+expense+statement%22
How entrepreneurs can prepare before we start
Prepare your application for mentorship by giving as much information as possible about the status of your business. You must have operated this business for AT LEAST ONE YEAR. In our first conversations I will ask you to tell me what you are selling. Tell me how you started your business and your current status. Tell me if you have employees or equipment. Tell me about your successes and your failures. Then list two or three only major issues in your business that you want to work on in a mentoring relationship. Be prepared to communicate regularly. You will need a Business Plan and Cash Flow Budget. If you don't have one or both of these you will need to work with me on creating these plans. It will also be helpful if you have an Income and Expense Statement and Balance Sheet from your most recent year of production.