Business Mentoring: Frequently Asked Questions
Growing a business requires clarity, focus and the confidence to make decisions that move things forward. This FAQ page brings together the most common questions leaders ask about business mentoring, executive mentoring and the support available across Sussex, Kent and the South East. Each answer is designed to give practical insight into how mentoring works, who it helps and what results to expect.
1. What does a business mentor do for companies in Sussex and Kent?
A business mentor provides independent strategic support to help leaders gain clarity, make confident decisions and accelerate growth. Typical areas include strategy, leadership, cashflow, funding, team performance and commercial development. For Sussex and Kent businesses, mentoring often includes a mix of remote and in-person sessions to tackle local market challenges and opportunities.
2. What is the difference between business mentoring and business coaching?
Business mentoring draws on real-world experience to guide leaders through challenges, using lived knowledge and practical insight. Coaching focuses more on questioning to help the client generate their own solutions. High-level executive mentoring often blends both, providing strategic insight while still supporting reflection and independent thinking.
3. Do you offer onsite mentoring for businesses in Sussex and Kent?
Yes. While most sessions are delivered online for efficiency, onsite visits across Sussex and Kent are available when useful particularly for strategic planning, leadership development sessions, and team alignment work.
4. What types of businesses benefit most from your mentoring?
I work with founders, owners, senior leaders and boards across sectors including professional services, technology, manufacturing, construction, engineering, creative industries and service-based SMEs. Typical clients are growing organisations needing clearer strategy, stronger leadership, better cashflow or support navigating scale-up challenges.
5. How does executive mentoring help senior leaders?
Executive mentoring provides structured guidance for decision-making, personal effectiveness and leadership capability. It helps leaders develop clarity around priorities, resolve complex problems, manage people more effectively and accelerate both individual and organisational performance.
6. Can you help with cashflow, funding or finance challenges?
Yes. With extensive experience in banking, alternative finance, asset-based lending and growth funding, I support leaders in understanding cashflow issues, strengthening financial management and accessing appropriate funding solutions. This includes preparing for investment, improving payment discipline and building sustainable financial plans.
7. How does your SHIFT³ framework support business growth?
SHIFT³ (Position → Ambition → Strategy) is a structured process used to create clarity, focus and momentum. It helps leaders understand where the business is today, where it needs to go, and which actions will create the greatest impact. It is practical, fast to implement and aligned to helping organisations achieve measurable outcomes.
8. Do you mentor early-stage businesses or only established SMEs?
Both. I mentor founders taking their first steps as well as established SMEs and senior leadership teams. Early-stage support focuses on clarity, proposition, pricing and early sales traction. Established SME support focuses on scaling, leadership development, performance and strategic execution.
9. What results can I expect from business mentoring?
Clients typically achieve improved strategic clarity, stronger decision-making, more confident leadership, better cashflow, increased sales performance and clearer accountability within the business. Many also gain long-term resilience and stronger organisational rhythm.
10. Do you offer mentoring outside Sussex and Kent?
Yes. While much of my work is with leaders across Sussex and Kent, I also mentor clients throughout the UK via remote sessions — especially senior executives, boards and workplace mentoring programme clients.
11. How often do mentoring sessions take place?
Most clients work on a monthly rhythm, while high-growth or complex situations often work fortnightly. Sessions typically last one hour and include a structured summary with actions, outcomes and next steps (Clarity → Momentum → Results).
12. Can mentoring support my leadership team, not just me?
Yes. I work with boards, senior leadership teams and high-potential managers. This includes group mentoring, team facilitation, leadership rhythm design, and supporting workplace mentoring programmes within larger organisations.