How to find a business mentor

Much has been made of the value of a business mentor, someone with experience and knowledge, who can act as a sounding board, encourage learning and development, and act as an impartial catalyst to business innovation, efficiency and growth.

But how does a small business owner go about finding a mentor, and more importantly, the right one for them?

Start by asking for recommendations from people whose judgment you know to be sound, says Kate Russell, managing director of Russell HR Consulting.

"Asking on LinkedIn and other social media platforms can be helpful, as well as asking around at local networking events," she says.

Having narrowed down your search and drawn up a shortlist, find out a bit about the prospective mentors you have in mind. Most will have a website, which is a good place to start. In particular find out about their values and what to expect if you work with them. Then interview them. A good mentor will be happy to have a no obligation chat to see if there is rapport.

Russell adds: "Before meeting up, consider what you need to know about them, for example, how they approach mentoring, their experience, processes and results. What are you looking to achieve?

Make sure the relationship feels right. For the mentoring to be successful there has to be trust between the two of you."

Mentors work in partnership with business owners, gaining a clear understanding of them and their business, what their drivers are, what they aspire to, where they are today and what they want their tomorrow to look like, feel and be.

Then, typically over a six or 12 month period, the mentor will help that business bring those aspirations to life by providing support, structure, time and experience.

"Mentoring makes common sense," says Rachel Clacher, co-founder of coaching and mentoring company The Business Coach House. "If you can see and experience someone who is doing and being what you want to do and be, then you can really understand what has got them to that position, and appreciate the opportunities that you have to develop in the same way."

Respect and trust are vital components of a business mentoring arrangement

"Don't just take someone one as a mentor just because they arrive ready packaged via a government-sponsored scheme. They have to be the right fit for you and there needs to be that honesty in the relationship on both sides," adds Clacher.

There are various places to find business mentors, from professional advisers who specialise in providing this type of service, to industry peers, friends and family. All have a potential role to play in helping a business owner to accelerate their learning, avoid common mistakes, boost confidence by provide impartial, balanced views, so choosing the right one is key.

For Guy Mucklow, CEO and co-founder of technology company Postcode Anywhere, experience and impartiality are two of the most important traits he looks for in a business mentor, with personality or cultural fit coming a close third.

He says: "Knowing that someone has trodden the hard yards and is giving me the benefit of their first hand experience, to me, is vital to winning early confidence.

Knowing that the advice is also being provided without a hidden agenda of potential follow up business, which is often the case with a professional adviser, is again very important for me and a reason why I am always circumspect about taking advice from this type of source."

Personality fit is also important, as you need to be able to feel comfortable revealing your innermost fears and concerns to your mentor in order to get the best input from them.

Don't assume that you can only have one mentor

Mucklow works with several, including his wife Maeve, who he describes as a great sounding board on all things to do with the business, particularly recruitment matters.

"She helps to provide a voice of reason and sound judgement in many personnel concerns that I might have in the business," he says.

For help and direction with his leadership challenges, he meets up every two months with the person who took him through a leadership training course at Cranfield School of Management, and now counsels him on issues such as setting direction, vision, culture and other business issues.

He is also an advocate of peer-to-peer mentoring, which he encourages and supports through his own business networks.

Many trade associations operate mentoring programmes, where members with specific experience in areas such as recruitment, raising finance, exporting and going public and so on, can share their views and experience with other small business members that are looking to scale.

Useful links:

Mentors Me, a national online portal for SMEs looking for mentoring services.

Association of Business Mentors, a platform for business mentors who are currently practicing.

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This content has been paid for and produced to a brief agreed with O2 Business, whose brand it displays

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