Free 1:1 guidance and mentoring just a few clicks away

How it works

We know that starting and running a business can be really hard, and often lonely. There’s so much to learn, and videos and toolkits can only take you so far. Sometimes talking to someone who’s ‘been there, done that’ can make all the difference.  

Our community of 5,000+ skilled volunteers generously offer their time to meet 1:1 with business owners (or aspiring ones!) to share knowledge and help you grow.

Here’s what to expect:

01

Tell us what you need help with

Start by choosing a topic for your first session (you can always request help on other topics later). We have mentors with experience in every aspect of building a business, from strategy to marketing, tech to finance.

Based on the topic you choose, we’ll recommend potential mentors. Select one or more, or let our engine choose for you. Not sure what you need help with? Choose ‘Initial Diagnosis’ and our volunteers will help you prioritise.

02

Sign up & make a request

Tell us a little about yourself and what you hope to get out of your mentoring session. Then share when you’re available – the more availability you provide, the easier it will be for us to match you.

Submit your request – then we’ll start asking volunteers if they can help!

03

Get matched

If the selected volunteers can help, a 60-minute virtual session will be automatically set up and you’ll receive an email confirmation. At this point, you’re able to message your mentors.

If the mentors you chose are not available, we’ll do our best to find you someone else with the same skills – so you don’t have to wait for help. Since all our mentors are volunteers, we can’t always guarantee that the person you choose will be free.

04

Connect with your mentor

At the time of your session, simply join the video link. The volunteer will work with on your challenge, share ideas and experiences, answer questions, and identify actions you could take. Use our Action Planning tool to organise your tasks and stay on track.

05

Keep going!

Following your session, you can request further 1:1 sessions as you need – there’s no limit to how many you can have or cost.

Note: each volunteer only commits upfront to one session with you, but lots of our matches result in long-term, ongoing mentoring relationships. You can ask as many other volunteers as you like for help, at any time.

To continue your learning, you can also join our free virtual Events or Peer Learning Programmes.