The importance of mentoring

Halfway into my first summer as a beekeeper a man in a white van drove up and parked outside my gate. He got out of the van, opened the gate and without as much as a hello uttered: ’You have bees.’ That encounter was the start of a long, enriching and wonderful friendship. The man in the van was Leo, and he was to become my mentor over the next few years. Until the playing-field was levelled, and we became partners in crime.

I always thought of mentoring as something other people availed of, probably a bit too fancy for me. And anyway, I have always had a rebellious mind and was never too keen on taking advice or accepting authorities. I just never though that mentoring was for me! I was going to create my own path in life and learn from my own mistakes. And then Leo opened that gate and let himself in. And he opened up a whole world of experiences and wisdom that I am so incredibly grateful for. Now, I happily seek out professionals and experts and ask for their advise, just as people seek me out to pick my brain about things that I am good at. I am more than happy both to listen and share. It’s a win-win-win situation!

Mentoring the un-mentorable

Like myself, my mentor Leo was a stubborn old bollix. Before you take offence on his behalf, let me tell you he wouldn’t have minded being called a stubborn old B. He was, in fact, quite proud that he had become one! Despite our similarities in this regard, we got on like a house on fire!

I remember once when we were moving bees from one of my apiaries to a field of rapeseed in the spring. We had loaded up the van with colonies and had about half an hour’s car journey ahead of us. Leo was driving. Coming out of the apiary I asked him to turn left so that we could have a smooth journey. Turning right would be slightly quicker but lead us on a bumpy country road, which could be quite an uncomfortable journey for the bees. Leo didn’t as much as acknowledge my comment, not even look at me, and proceeded by turning right. Yes, right! A very bumpy, twisty and tooth-grinding five minutes later we arrived at the dual carriage way. And my best friend turned towards me, grinned, and said: That wasn’t too bad now, was it?

I just had to laugh. The bees were of course just fine, and Leo was happy in a childish kind of a way because he wasn’t really the type of person who took too well to being told what to do either!

The importance of mentoring for beekeeping

Beekeeping is one of those practices where mentoring is really important. There is so much to learn in a short space of time, and so much of it is usually done on one’s own. Partnering up with another beekeeper speeds up the learning process and also shows beginners how to handle bees which is one of the hardest things to do as a beginner. It is the best way for passing on the age old art of beekeeping and ensuring that the tradition lives on for another generation. It can also be quite beneficial for the person who becomes the mentor.

In the case of Leo and myself, he took it upon himself to teach me the basics of beekeeping, and I in turn helped him with some of the more finicky jobs that his eyesight and diminishing dexterity prevented him from doing. Such as clipping and marking queens, spotting eggs, filling out hive records etc. It worked so well for us because together we became a great team, much better than if each of us worked separately. He used to hold the ladder, pass me equipment and shout instructions while I was extracting swarms from chimneys and trees. And then he would give me a pat on the shoulder and proudly tell anyone who would listen that he taught me everything he knew about beekeeping. (Whereby I would usually pipe up defiantly and say ‘yes, but you didn’t teach me everything that I know…’)

Beekeeping skills = Business skills

Apart from teaching me to trust my instinct, both when it comes to bees and people, Leo taught me about patience. In my first few years of beekeeping, he would chastise me for poking around in my hives too much, too early in the season. Leave ’em alone! was his often repeated mantra. Along with curiosity, ability to observe and draw conclusions, patience is one of the most important things to have as a beekeeper. (And as I learned later, one of the most important traits as a business owner too!)

By constantly asking questions and trying to find answers as to why certain things happened in this particular way, at this particular time to this particular colony you will further your knowledge and be better prepared for the next time something similar is about to happen, and will be able to take appropriate action, or non-action. Many experienced beekeepers will tell you that they have more questions now than when they started beekeeping. The more they know, the more they know that there is to learn. Being able to observe and read the bees is a skill that will take years to develop, and as it does you will be able to anticipate things before they happen. This will allow you to become a more proactive and practical beekeeper rather than a reactionary one.

Finding a beekeeping mentor

It is not very common that a good mentor materializes as easily as Leo did for me. You may need to seek one out, but in my opinion, finding a mentor is one of the most important things that you can do as a beginner. There are days when beekeeping is tough, you feel confused, overwhelmed, have run out of equipment, need help catching a swarm or just want a second pair of eyes or a steady hand. Those are the days when you will need your mentor.

I would love to see mentorship programmes established locally, where beginner beekeepers are matched up with mentors. I know some associations have started these programmes. If your local association have something like this, great, if not, contact your secretary and they may be able to put you in touch with someone who would be willing to offer you advice and guidance. I have been lucky enough to have helped mentor a few beginner beekeepers, and it is great to see the speed with which they gain confidence and become proficient beekeepers. For a craft or trade like beekeeping, mentoring is essential to keep the tradition alive.

Business Mentor

As my business grew, I felt I had a need for another type of mentoring. I was building a business, but I knew absolutely nothing about business! I knew about bees, how to make honey and candles and beeswax wraps. But I had no idea how business worked. We’re talking barcodes here. Barcodes and sales pitches and margins. Export, international harmonization codes and point of sale marketing. That was all gobbledygook to me. I was a beekeeper, not a business person. I fumbled in darkness for a couple of years and picked up a few tricks along the way. Admittedly, I didn’t do too badly and built up a nice little network of resellers in Ireland. But I needed to learn more, learn faster and from someone who actually knew what they were talking about.

My lucky break came in the middle of Covid and lockdowns, when I met my business mentor Meabh though the Local Enterprise Offices. What a game changer that was! With her help I could focus on the areas that were most important and understand how my retailers look at my business and my products. For the first time I had someone who spoke the languages of business AND crafting in the same sentence. With Meabh’s guidance, I was able to build confidence and with that a brand and a website and take my business to a place where it now supplies some of the most prestigious shops in the country and have started exporting to retailers Europe and North America.

Local Enterprise Office Supports

The Local Enterprise Offices have a range of business supports including a superb Mentorship programme. In this programme, you can get access to a mentor for one-to-one mentoring sessions over a period of time. Their fleet of mentors are experienced in various different fields, and they will match one to your business that suits your particular needs. I would urge anyone who is thinking of starting a business or have been in business for a few years to get in touch with your Local Enterprise Office to see what supports they have available that you could use. Here is a short promo video by the Local Enterprise Offices about the mentoring supports that they offer and the impacts it has had on my little business: