Next Level Mentoring

Helping SMEs Grow and Thrive
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Building a business can be most rewarding.

It can also be a very lonely journey.

Do you have a sense of not knowing quite how best to move forward in these rapidly changing times?

Is it difficult to share your thoughts or concerns with your most trusted employees, because they may misunderstand you? Do you sense no one quite appreciates what you are thinking, what concerns you, in quite the way you do? Sound familiar?

Enter the business mentor.

Your business mentor can help you create and implement strategies for these uncertain, volatile times to assist you achieve your growth goals.

Your mentor can help you to keep focused on what matters most, such as finding enough time, money and the right people.

Your mentor offers you a combination of business knowledge and experience to assist you on your journey. Your mentor knows what you are going through. Why? Because your mentor has been there!

What We Do

What we Do

Business mentoring involves an ongoing conversation about how to manage and grow your business.

Your business mentor can act as a sounding board for your ideas and plans.

Your mentor will not necessarily know your industry and will clearly not know your particular business. Hence much of the ongoing conversation between you and your mentor involves a gradual marrying of your knowledge of your business with the mentor’s knowledge and experience.

Effective conversation between you and your mentor generates a powerful way to help you move your business forward.

Not surprisingly, successful business mentoring requires a positive, close working relationship between you and your mentor. The relationship requires trust, commitment and freedom to be honest both ways.

This relationship requires time for these things to develop. The time involved may extend from typically a minimum of six months (to enable your mentor to get to know you and your business) to many years. The time frame depends upon how long you and your mentor judge you are continuing to receive value.

Finally, it has to be said mentoring may not be for everybody. Not every business owner and mentor will get along sufficiently well for the vital mentoring relationship to work. Usually we can assess that possibility in the first one or two meetings. If it looks like it will work, we can move forward together.  While there can be no guarantees of success, we feel we can certainly help you improve the odds!

Some things business mentoring is not:

  • Business mentoring is not about coaching, which involves developing and practicing a set of skills to achieve a particular goal.
  • Business mentoring is not corporate doctoring or a quick fix for a serious problem, such as imminent business failure.
  • Business mentoring is not consulting, which involves applying specialist knowledge to recommend a solution to a problem or opportunity.
  • Business mentoring is not about providing professional services, such as accounting, legal, financial, acquisition or other expertise.
  • Business mentoring is not about assuming leadership, management or decision-making of your business, which remain firmly with you.

Testimonials

Dexter Moore

Musician and Composer

I have had the pleasure of benefiting greatly from the mentorship of David Cunneen. His support is unparalleled in that he has a broad and fastidious approach to covering both priorities as well as details.

He kept me in sync with the business plan of my project ‘Mystery Person’ and he was indeed instrumental in its creation from the outset. Without his mentorship, this project may well have not come to be. With his mentorship, all goals have been met and the project has grown beyond expectations.

After the experience of David’s mentorship, I have gained confidence in my own business capabilities and am on course toward manifesting my ultimate vision.

Andrew Carroll

Managing Director, Cold Forge

I have worked with David as my mentor since 2004.  David has been absolutely integral to the development of our corporate and business strategy.

From the business I acquired in 2004 which was a key supplier of fastenings to the Australian automotive OEM component sector, to now being a key supplier to every railroad in Australia of track materials has been a dramatic and necessary change in focus.

David has been a guiding force from staff performance issues to the business strategy and a valuable member of our team.  David has ensured that the varied disciplines necessary to grow and prosper have been implemented.

Who we Are

Dr David Cunneen FCPA
Dr David Cunneen FCPA
DBA SCU; MSc (Bus) London; BCom UNSW

Principal of D J Cunneen & Co.

David brings extensive professional qualifications, knowledge and business experience to his mentoring clients.

Professional qualifications

  • Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants.
  • Doctor of Business Administration, Southern Cross University, 2003.
  • Master of Science in Business Administration (Degree with Distinction), London Business School, University of London, 1975.
  • Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours, University Medal in Accounting), University of New South Wales, 1970.

Business experience

David has over 50 years of business experience, spanning business mentoring, growth firm creation and development, as well as large company experience.

David has mentored business owners for almost 25 years, across a wide range of industries, including publishing, IT, entertainment, heritage management, telecommunications, hospitality, metal manufacturing and engineering, as well as the professions.

David’s business experience even extends to creating and running his own Sydney-based art gallery, The Durning Lawrence Gallery, from 1994 to 1997. The gallery focused upon Australian representational paintings and prints of the twentieth century. It was great fun!

From 1979 to 1993, David held senior positions in the Australian IT industry, including eight years as Managing Director of Hypertec Limited, an Australian developer and distributor of hi-tech PC products, with markets in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the USA.

Prior to his involvement in the IT industry, David spent 14 years with CSR Limited, including 6 years in the company’s New Business Division.

Academic background

David was a lecturer with the University of Newcastle for 22 years, from 1998 to 2020.

David taught extensively in areas of strategy, entrepreneurship and innovation, much of it at the postgraduate level, including developing and leading courses in strategy in the University's Master of Business Administration and Executive MBA programs. David has been cited on numerous occasions for teaching excellence over the 22 years, most recently outstanding overall course performance in two entrepreneurship postgraduate courses in 2020.

Research activities include publication of a book in 2010, with co-author Dr Gary Mankelow: “Entrepreneurship and New Gazelle Creation: How Entrepreneurs Create New Gazelles”. David has also co-authored a number of conference papers and journal articles, as well as supervising a number of PhD candidates, all within the fields of strategy, entrepreneurship and innovation.

How we Work

We need to get to know your business well, so we can offer advice and counsel that matches your specific needs and circumstances. We do this through a mix of regular monthly and adhoc meetings with you. Meetings are usually held at your premises, to help us understand your business; and it is usually more convenient for you. Meetings are held in strict confidence. Face to face meetings are supplemented with phone calls and emails as and when needed.

From time to time we may attend your board meetings (by invitation); or be part of an advisory board (again by invitation). We will never accept a board position as it may conflict with our role as mentor. We are also very happy to work with your senior staff, provided meetings are held jointly with those staff members and you.

Early stages of engagement involve getting to know each other and your business. Gradually, more and more time is spent focusing on specific business issues as our knowledge grows about your business and how it works.

While the time spent each month may vary, it is typically about one or two days at most per month.

Fees

The fee structure is a reasonable monthly fixed fee. The minimum engagement period is usually six months. The fixed monthly fee represents the equivalent of one full day per month. A fixed fee encourages you to work with us and removes any concern you may feel about contacting us for advice or assistance 'because of the possible cost'.

Get in Touch

Contact us to find out more about how we may be able to help you and your business.


David Cunneen
Principal / Director
D J Cunneen & Co Pty Limited
‍
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Phone: 0403 742 288
ABN: 40 002 049 649

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