The Branson Centre Caribbean is helping entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses by connecting them to experienced mentors.

A good mentor can play a vital role in an entrepreneur’s success. The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship had a chance to share just how much of impact a mentor can make at a fireside chat event it hosted last month.

Branson Centre mentor Christine Giscombe was the main speaker on the panel. She is a U.K.-based motivational speaker, certified cognitive emotional awareness coach and founder of Born to Excel. During her presentation, she discussed some of her personal experiences mentoring young professionals and entrepreneurs, and highlighted the challenges, as well as benefits of mentorship.

“I have had times when I didn’t really want to have a session — but then walked away thinking that was a really good session,’ Giscombe said. “Sometimes we have to push ourselves because we are actually adding value to somebody’s life and giving them the tools to get over that hurdle they didn’t think they could [get over].”

Giscombe encouraged those in the room to identify their passions, to find their call and to be true to themselves.

Branson Centre Caribbean has a pool of more than 300 mentors and coaches committed to helping small businesses grow. Mentors and entrepreneurs are carefully matched, assessing personalities and areas of interests.

Restaurant-owner Kerry-Ann Joiles received mentorship through the Branson Centre while taking part in its accelerator programme last year. Speaking on the panel, she shared how mentorship transformed her business and enhanced her abilities as an entrepreneur.

“Just by being around [mentors], you can learn bits and pieces of information from them. One of the main things I learned was the importance of knowing your numbers. Doing that has made a remarkable impact on my business,” Joiles said.

This event was the first in a series of fireside chats under the theme Journeys to Scale that the Branson Centre is hosting in partnership with the United States Embassy in Jamaica. The chats are designed to bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and other specialists to discuss important issues affecting entrepreneurship in the region.

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor with Branson Centre Caribbean, you can sign up to learn more.