About ten years ago I visited a silver mine in Bolivia, a place of vast natural deposits that almost single-handedly funded the Spanish Empire at the height of its power. 400 years on and the miners are working exhausted seams, living in povety and dying at the average age of 36 from a combination of respiratory problems, liver damage (96% proof alcohol anyone?) and coca- addiction.
"Fascinating, Emily", you might say (but probably won't) , "but how does this relate your mentoring relationship with Caroline?" When I wrote my last blog I was about to see Caroline and I went armed with a long-list of things I wanted her advice on and with hindsight I wish I had taken that approach right from the start. Like that silver mine 400 years ago there is simply so much of value that I haven't yet tapped in to.
Our last conversation swung from recruitment, to equity partnerships, from really understanding the profitability of the business (with one fell-swoop of a pen and napkin my business went from being pretty to pretty ugly) to working with the government and then, finally, thoughts on how to structure the business. As a result my bank holiday weekend consists of arranging a meeting with an accountant friend to move us from a cash accounting system to a projects based system; writing up job descriptions and writing an initial template for recruitment. I will also be producing a weekly template to keep track of all our deliverables across the business and producing targets for all areas. Sounds terrible I know, but I am actually (sadly) quite excited as I can see the difference this will all make to our growth.
Fortunately, Caroline has already offered to keep meeting over the summer and I am hoping that before we end working together formally in the Autumn I can mine the untapped riches of information/ experience to power the expansion of the Arrival Education empire - without resorting to alcohol, coca-addiction or the Inquisition.
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