If there is any truth in the adage that success is born from hard times, it's good news for Skills Venture. Started by Will Snell and Rob Breare, the firm offers people the chance to use their skills to help Kenyan entrepreneurs. Having left full-time jobs in the summer of 2007, they spent six months preparing for a launch in January 2008. But things didn't go to plan. First, a political crisis in Kenya unfolded, then the global recession started.

This double blow meant not many people wanted to travel to Kenya. But having run a charity in the country for 12 years, building and equipping schools, Snell and Breare were committed to Kenya. Scrapping a plan for
a major push to get employers on board, the pair focused on individual travellers.

Snell and Breare say Kenya boasts a booming enterprise culture, thanks to banks being keen to lend to small companies and little red tape. And small businesses are essential to the economy, accounting for 75 per cent of jobs and 18 per cent of GDP. But a quarter of these firms say a lack of basic skills holds them back. Skills Venture aims to change that by sending volunteer mentors with five years' business experience.

Unlike many working holidays or career breaks, people can use their core skills to help others. And volunteers can help out for as little as a week. Snell says Skills Venture meets a demand from the "gap-year generation" to use its talents to help others. "Unless you are an engineer or a doctor, you can't use your skills without taking a year to do VSO," he argues.

Breare explains how the idea came about: "People would ask if they could help on our school projects. But when someone has marketing skills, getting them to do something that could be done better by a local who would enjoy the income, seemed ridiculous."

The first paying customer went on the scheme last month, with more due in the summer. As Breare says: "We believe people can make a difference in a short time. This is not about high-level consultancy or hardcore data analysis. It's about the people and giving entrepreneurs the chance to talk about the challenges they face."

Snell puts it more bluntly: "It's about sitting under a tree having a coffee rather than drawing business models." With capacity for 40 mentors this year, they will have their hands full. And next year, the pair will turn to the corporate market.

"Skilled volunteering is an essential tool for employers when it comes to recruitment, retention and skill building," says Breare. "This is a great way of giving your employees an energy boost. And because the model is so flexible, you don't have to lose employees for six months or a year, you can do it for as little as a week."