Small Businesses Working Together for a Brighter Future The partnership is bonded by a written agreement between the SBA, the mentor and the protégé. The SBA acts as an overseer of the program and the process. The program has four areas of coverage – management and technical, financial, public procurement, access and qualification for third party opportunities. In a nutshell, the SBA and the program goals are mostly centered on the protégé. Before the actual implementation, a customized program is made for the protégé that should be followed by the mentor.

1. The SBA Mentor-Protégé
Program
Small Businesses Working
Together for a Brighter Future

2. The SBA Mentor-
Protégé Program
The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program is a SBA and
government sponsored program for small businesses.
• It is under the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program
• Participants involved are successful small business
owners (as mentors) and novice small business owners
(as protégés).
• The program is designed to encourage and attract
mentors that will provide assistance to disadvantaged
firms (protégés).
• The program develops an established relationship
between two small businesses owners that can help each
other. Simply, it is a partnership between two businesses
owners facilitated by the SBA.

3. The SBA Mentor-
Protégé Program
• The partnership is bonded by a written agreement
between the SBA, the mentor and the protégé. The
SBA acts as an overseer of the program and the
process.
• The program has four areas of coverage – management
and technical, financial, public procurement, access and
qualification for third party opportunities.
• In a nutshell, the SBA and the program goals are mostly
centered on the protégé. Before the actual
implementation, a customized program is made for the
protégé that should be followed by the mentor.

4. Program Goals
The program’s goals include
• Equipping small business owners
in running and maintain a small
business
• Developing the protégée’s skills
and capabilities for public
procurement
• Assisting the protégés to be
competitive, successful and
contribute to their industry and
over-all economy

5. Assistance/Benefits
1. Technical and management assistance – given using
the mentor’s experience, expertise, capabilities and
resources.
- Mentors are free to dispense all relative knowledge
they have accumulated to the protégé to give them
advantages in real-life situations.

6. Assistance/Benefits
contd.
2. Tips and tricks in Contracting (particularly in
Government Procurement)
- basic and technical aspect of procurement to the
protégés.
- mentors can partner or join with their protégés in real
procurement projects
- With the SBA, it is likely that the context of
government procurement that will be worked on by
both mentor and protégé.

7. Assistance/Benefits
contd.
3. Financial assistance (loans and
equity)
- a mentor firm can loan the protégé
firm for its financial needs
- acquire some equity (or ownership
of the protégé firm to help to raise
capital or counter any financial
problems that the protégé firm
faces.

8. Assistance/Benefits
contd.
4. Access and qualification for other opportunities.
- If the protégé firm shows promise and development
during the course of the program, it can be eligible and
qualified to other SBA programs.
- The SBA can also offer more assistance for the firm.
Aside from the SBA, the mentor firm can recommend the
protégé firm to other opportunities like corporate and
private clients.

9. Getting In
Interested parties (both mentor and
protégés) can search for information
about this program on the SBA’s official
site: sba.gov
• Information can also be gathered
from SBA offices. Enrollment and
application to the program is also
handled by an SBA office, often
the SBA District Office.
• Both protégés and mentors need to
apply and be approved by the SBA.

10. Getting In contd.
• The SBA binds the two parties with a written agreement.
The agreement should specify the protégé’s needs that
needed addressing and the mentor’s commitment to the
partnership.
• The SBA only allows a one-to-one ratio of mentor and
protégé. This approach is adopted to make sure that the
partnership creates trust, understanding and support
from each other.
• The partnership is reviewed yearly by the SBA to ensure
its progress and success.

11. How to be a Protégé
• Protégés need to be in the developmental stage when
applying to the Mentor-Protégé Program
• The firm’s owner should have no history of receiving a
contract via the SBA
• The firm should have termination or suspension
proceedings
• The firm’s size should be half or less compared to the
size of a small business in a particular industry
• The firm should have a good reputation in the SBA’s
view and complies with all reporting requirements

12. How to be a Mentor
In this program, a mentor is
• A small or large business owner
• A firm that finished or in a transitional the 8(a) BD
program
• The firm should have a good finical health (or profitable)
for the last two years or so
• A contractor to the federal government with a good
reputation

13. How to be a Mentor
contd.
• Can make the commitment to the
protégé and the program for a year
at least
• Able to support the protégé for at
least a year, teach about matters
involving small business
management, the 8(a)
Business Development
program and government
contracting

14. SBA’s Role
• Provide an environment for both mentors and
protégé
• Provide valuable resources like financial
assistance
• Protégés and mentors are able to seek out
other SBA programs that might benefit them
• Assess and respond to developmental needs of
the program’s protégés
• Evaluate the progress and development of the
partnership

15. SBA’s Role contd.
• Decline the program to a firm or a mentor
for a protégé
• Notify the mentor of possible termination
of the partnership
• Terminate the partnership