My journey to why I mentor and why I joined the Association of Business Mentors (ABM) is rooted in the same principles that guide my company – Start Easy: a focus on human rights and sustainable development.
For years, my work in NGOs and corporate social responsibility taught me that true, lasting change requires a strong, ethical foundation. When I transitioned to business mentoring, I saw it as the most direct way to help people develop their ideas and build resilient companies that are driven by purpose, not just profit.
I didn’t just want to help businesses get bigger; I wanted to help them get better. That is the core value of ABM mentoring.
The value of business mentoring: a case study in transformation
The value of business mentoring is not measured in hours, but in the shifts—the moments when a founder moves from a crisis mindset to a strategic one. My work with one of my recent mentees is a perfect example of this deep, transformative value:
- From exit strategy to growth strategy: at a crossroads, struggling with burnout and considering selling the business despite three acquisition offers on the table. Through business mentoring, I helped the mentee move from an “exit strategy” to a focused “growth and scaling strategy.” Decided to build value and protect her core values rather than sell out.
Value point: Mentoring provides the clarity and strategic framework to evaluate high-stakes decisions and choose the path most aligned with the founder’s mission.
- Defining and protecting core values: Our sessions were crucial in helping finalise Mission, Vision, and Values and communicate them to her web team. This defined narrative is now a source of competitive advantage in a market dominated by “profit-only” corporate groups.
Value point: Business mentoring helps codify a business’s intangible value, its ethics, culture, and unique story, turning it into a strategic asset.
- Solving burnout through systemic change: The greatest threat to the business was burnout. Mentoring provided the framework to address this not as a personal failure, but as a systemic weakness.
This led to three key actions:
- Implementing a new practice manager and delegating tasks.
- Exploring and adapting formal HR policies and appraisal forms.
- Piloting new team communication structures to improve operational efficiency and reduce her burden.
Value Point: Mentoring focuses on systemic change that reduces the founder’s workload and ensures the business can thrive without them, supporting the goal to reduce her work schedule to four days a week.
Ultimately, I joined the ABM because I believe in equipping ethical founders with the tools to succeed. Business mentoring allows me to use my background to reinforce that a business can, and should, grow profitably while remaining true to its soul.
For more information on the benefits of being a member of the ABM read more here
