The Role of Business Mentoring in Small Business Success

This article was written by Ben Jacobs and Steve Dent who are part of the Association of Business Mentors.

Running a small or medium-sized business can be lonely. Owners are constantly balancing day-to-day pressures with decisions about cash flow, staffing, pricing, technology, and long-term strategy. It’s easy to get stuck working in the business rather than on it, and even experienced leaders can find themselves second-guessing big decisions.

Business mentoring offers a practical way to cut through that noise. A professional business mentor brings lived experience of leading organisations. They have a toolkit of proven business frameworks as well as external perspective that helps you see your options more clearly.

This article from the Association of Business Mentors explores what a business mentor is, the specific benefits mentoring brings to SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises), how it supports sustainable growth, and how to find the right mentor for your business – including through Help to Grow: Management.

A business mentor is an experienced professional who blends extensive leadership experience in SMEs, practical knowledge of business theory and tools, and coaching skills to help you make better, more informed decisions about your business.

Unlike a coach, who primarily uses questioning to facilitate self-discovery, or a consultant, who diagnoses problems and prescribes or implements solutions, a mentor shares relevant experience and frameworks while helping business leaders to make decisions with confidence.

Business mentoring focuses on long-term business and leadership development: strengthening strategic thinking, improving execution and team dynamics, and building the confidence and independent capability needed to lead sustainable growth.

Business mentoring gives SME leaders structured access to strategic insight, problem-solving support and independent challenge. A professional mentor helps you spot blind spots in areas such as strategy, finance, people and operations, then stress-test options so decisions are better informed and less risky.

ABM’s independent research with 250 business leaders found that 65% said professional mentoring had directly boosted revenues, 64% reported higher profits and 63% reported headcount growth, demonstrating its tangible contribution to business performance. Mentors also build leadership confidence, helping owners lead through uncertainty with greater clarity, resilience and focus on the long term.

A small business mentor provides structured guidance through growth challenges, helping you weigh options, understand risk and make better strategic decisions.

1. Regular meetings create accountability and motivation, keeping long-term goals on the agenda despite day-to-day pressure.

2. Mentors also open networks and connections to partners, suppliers and specialists.

3. Crucially, they build confidence in leadership by offering perspective from someone who has “been there”.

On the Help to Grow: Management Course, mentoring supported Bradford manufacturer Powersheds to grow from £1 million to a forecast £20 million turnover, with finance lead Nicole Owen strengthening strategy, financial management and board-level impact.

On the Help to Grow: Management Course, every participant is matched with a voluntary business mentor. Using the programme’s online platform, you can search a pool of around 3,000 vetted, interviewed mentors, all trained through ABM’s ILM-assured programme.

Outside of Help to Grow: Management, many other business support programmes provide mentoring. For example, you can find a professional business mentor through the Association of Business Mentors directory, or by enquiring at your local business school.

Best practice is to start with a discovery call: check that their experience fits your challenges, that you share values and can build trust.

Look for mentors who are professionally trained, belong to a recognised body and commit to ongoing CPD."

SME mentors understand the realities of running a smaller business: tight cash and time, lean teams, founder-dependence and the challenge of scaling without losing control. Through structured conversations, they strengthen decision-making, challenge assumptions and encourage practical innovation.

On Help to Grow: Management, ABM data shows a 75% increase in mentorships focusing on AI and digital transformation from July to October, and over 50% of mentoring relationships identify business strategy as a priority. This sustained focus on strategy, digital adoption and leadership capability directly supports business resilience, helping SMEs stay competitive as markets, technology and customer expectations evolve.

For SME leaders, a business mentor offers far more than occasional advice. Professional mentoring provides structured guidance, independent challenge and a confidential space to think, so you can make clearer decisions with greater confidence.

 Over time, this combination of experience, tools and support builds strategic focus, sharper execution and stronger leadership – exactly what smaller businesses need to navigate uncertainty and pursue sustainable growth.

During the Help to Grow: Management Course, mentoring is integrated alongside high-quality, business-school-led teaching, giving you access to vetted, trained mentors who understand the realities of running and scaling an SME.

If you are serious about developing your leadership, strengthening your strategy and building a more resilient business, exploring Help to Grow: Management – and working with a professional business mentor – is a powerful place to start.