When Linda Thiebes [pictured] was accepted for an internship in the UK and had to leave her home country, Germany, she was confronted with her first dilemma - the choice of location. Everywhere came with varying personal and professional advantages.
"I reached out to Dave (Stevinson, QBS Group CEO) for some advice," Linda says. "He took many aspects into account that I had not considered before. Not only did Dave take into consideration the professional aspects in the move, but he also placed a big emphasis on what I valued outside of work."
Nurturing next-gen success
Mentees benefit from 'real life' viewpoints and solid insights available through direct contact and two-way communication with more experienced people in their field, especially when the expertise involved isn't always easy to find, as in the case of entrepreneurship.
Knowledge transfer to the next generation is crucial for business, fostering both personal and professional growth. It's part of what makes personal mentoring so important - and so powerful.
As part of the QBS's Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) pledge, Dave donates a full five percent of his time to help young entrepreneurs like Linda with business advice.
That can even include detail on the nuts and bolts of existence, such as what it might be like to be based in an up-and-coming city like Manchester, where Linda chose to begin her internship in April 2022. Dave reviewed her options and gave her good insight on what to expect in different areas that matched her criteria and what she was looking for.
"He gave me invaluable advice, which made the decision easy for me," Linda says.
"I followed his personal recommendation due to the trust we had built up. He really knew and took the time to find out what I wanted. To this day I have no regrets as I really enjoyed my stay."
Dave offered a plethora of tips that would assist Linda to make the best decision for her. Even prior to the relocation, he always made her feel like she could reach out with questions, she adds.
"No question was too big for Dave to answer. Concerns and queries were handled in a timely manner with Dave taking extra care to ensure I was happy and comfortable with my decision," says Linda.
During the internship as well, Dave took pains to connect Linda within his own network -- helping her spread her wings in an unfamiliar location and new country. Settling in was much easier all round.
"Thanks to him, I was able to really enjoy my internship and life in the UK," she emphasises, adding that his "care, support and excellent service" all helped deliver a seamless experience.
"This is exemplified when Dave assisted me after the move as well as reaching out to his personal network to help me with finding an adequate car beforehand," she explains.
"I was even able to practice driving in left-hand traffic beforehand – which I had been extremely nervous about before the move. Dave really went above and beyond to help me."
( Photo kindly provided to QBS by Linda. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved )