Professional Mentoring
Empowering growth through professional mentoring


What is Business Mentoring?
Business mentoring is a professional relationship where an experienced businessperson (the mentor) offers guidance, support, and advice to an entrepreneur, business owner, or leader (the mentee).
Business mentoring is broad in scope, aiming to help the mentee grow their business, managing the business better, and often support their wellbeing. Business mentors combine coaching, consulting and mentoring techniques – modifying their style between the three based on the needs at the time of the intervention to help get best results – with proven business tools to share insights, help navigate challenges, and offer strategies grounded in their own business experience.
This collaborative relationship addresses various aspects of business such as: business leadership; business strategy and planning; financial and operational management; sales and marketing strategies, and business exit strategies.
The ultimate goal is to accelerate the mentee’s business growth and personal development, delivering tangible ROI in areas such as profitability, valuation, lifestyle or on a particular business issue such as digital transformation, HR, sales and marketing, or operations.
The experience of business mentors, their business background and mentoring skills, also positions them to support and deliver mentoring and coaching within businesses to employees to help support their professional development, and with it business growth.

What is the difference between a Business Mentor, Coach and Consultant?
Business Coaching – Business coaching is structured and goal-oriented, helping the business leader find their own solutions and conclusions. A business coach uses questioning techniques to guide clients through specific challenges, such as setting goals, developing plans, and executing strategies to achieve measurable results. A coach does not give advice or recommendations.
Business Consulting – A Business Consultant is called in by a business to provide expert technical advice, insights, and strategies tailored to specific challenges and opportunities. A consultant typically works on a project basis, addressing particular business needs with specialised knowledge, with the ultimate goal to drive efficiency, profitability and competitive advantage. Business consultants set out clear recommendations and advice on what the business should do. A consultant does not focus on goals or help the business owner find their own solutions.
Business Mentoring – A business mentor’s focus is on the individual. A business mentor will guide and support you in growing your business by helping you clarify your bigger vision and providing a growth structure that maximises your biggest strengths, captures your biggest opportunities and eliminates your biggest challenges over a long lapse of time.
ABM members practice a combination of mentoring, coaching and consulting. Discover more about our member’s specialisms and services here.

How can working with an ABM Mentor benefit my business?
A business mentor is a professional who understands how to run and grow a business, they are able to mentor with empathy. Your mentor will have expertise in business, planning, management, productivity, strategy, managing a team, increasing company revenue and helping you to manage stress and overcome challenges.
One of the key roles of your business mentor is to help you take a step back and provide you with an external overview of your business and marketing strategies. Your business mentor helps you clarify your ideal future and how to achieve goals that can be transformational for your business. They support you in the development of your vision, values and purpose and help you plan appropriately. They sit by your side acting as your professional soundboard and listening ear, offering guidance when you most need it.
Discover more about the positive impact of working with a professional business mentor in our research.
Interested in joining the ABM?
Whether you are at the start of your business mentoring journey, or run an established mentoring business, ABM membership provides you with the network and tools to develop and grow your mentoring skills and business.