AFTER more than 25 years volunteering as a business mentor in Tasmania, Geoff Fader is ‘retiring’.

Through Business Mentor Services Tasmania, he said he had mentored many small business people since the organisation’s inception in the early 1980s.

Graham Marshall, general manager of O Group company Business & Employment that operates Business Mentor Services. estimated that the economic value of Mr Fader’s contribution over 25 years would be well in excess of $1 million.

Business & Employment general manager Graham Marshall, left, with Geoff Fader and Andrew Windle, of Business Mentor Services.

Mr Fader said he was not retiring in the true sense of the word.

“But as you get a bit older the time comes to focus on other things,” he said.

“I still have a number of other business interests I would like to continue to pursue.”

Mr Fader has enjoyed a long, diverse and successful career in Tasmanian business, and is one of Tasmania’s most recognisable business leaders.

He headed up advertising agency Leo Burnett for 20 years, operated his own marketing consultancy and was the CEO of the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania.  He is also a past State and Australian President of the Australian Marketing Institute and is a Life Member.

Mr Fader continues to work today as the chair of the Tasmanian Small Business Council, executive officer of Group Training Australia - Tasmania Inc. and is chair of family owned business Tasmanian Shipping Supplies.

Though he is “retiring” to concentrate on these other activities, he said working as a business mentor was one of the most enjoyable things he had been involved in.

“You meet really genuine people who are committed to their business and what they are trying to achieve,” he said.

“I never found it difficult to assist them and it was never a struggle or a strain for me to give up some time to talk to them about their respective issues or problems.

“It has always been enjoyable and extremely rewarding when you see these people successfully come through whatever issue prompted them to seek mentoring in the first place.”

While it is difficult to provide specific examples of how he has helped business people because of the confidentiality issues associated with the mentoring service, Mr Fader said he was pleased to be able to sit back and reflect on some success stories.

“One small manufacturing business with a wide range of products and specialty items was almost continually in turmoil around production deadlines and on time delivery,” he said.

“The owner manager was hands on and so keen to make every customer happy that production schedules got changed almost daily just to respond to the customer with the loudest voice.

“The impact of this was devastating on employees, efficiency and the bottom line of the business.

“We found a simple solution right inside the business.

“The business owner’s wife and business partner was highly skilled in administration and scheduling control, skills learned from her previous employment.

“We simply put her in charge of all production scheduling and encouraged the business owner to concentrate on his skill area - technical production.”

Mr Fader said many small businesses were husband and wife partnerships.

“It is very important to get business out of the bedroom,” he said.

“You simply have to separate your personal life from your business life, especially when things become tough in business.

“I have helped both male and female business people to find ways to separate their business and personal lives so that any passing business difficulties do not impact on the family.”

Mr Fader said he would encourage anyone who had accumulated business or trade experience to enquire about becoming a mentor.

“Mentoring is easy, fun and very rewarding,” he said.

“And you are making a huge contribution to the community in which we live and work.”

Business Mentor Services Tasmania is an O Group company.  Other O Group companies include Business & Employment, Choose Employment, findstaff.biz and NGT.