There are 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, making up 99.8 per cent of the business population. Mentoring can help these businesses make informed decisions, adapt to changing market conditions, and strengthen their foundations for future success, as noted in the government’s Small Business Strategy.

Research from the Association of Business Mentors (ABM) found that 65 per cent of business leaders reported mentoring helped them directly boost their revenues, whilst 72 per cent of business leaders reported mentoring directly improved their work-life balance, mental health and confidence.

The MentorsMe directory provides a list of business mentoring organisations across the UK, as well as a wide range of mentoring and business advice programmes run by banks, the government, and other organisations. Also listed on the site are a wide range of resources which can provide more general information and support about running a business, including how to access finance.

David Raw, Managing Director of Commercial Finance, said:

SMEs are vital to the UK economy and therefore its important they can easily find high-quality business mentoring when needed. Banks want SMEs to succeed, and as a result invest in mentoring projects to ensure business can access these services.

Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Businesses, said:

Having a mentor can be a game-changer for small businesses and I welcome this initiative by UK Finance which will make it easier for business leaders to find a high-quality mentor they can trust.

Georgina Waite, Co-Chair of the National Business Mentoring Council and CEO of the Association of Business Mentors, said:

MentorsMe has provided a consistent and accessible way to identify and connect with mentoring support for SMEs over a number of years. The new website will help ensure this resource remains available and fit for purpose in supporting those seeking support through business mentoring.

Irene Graham, Co-Chair of the National Business Mentoring Council and CEO of the Scale Up Institute:

Mentoring is a valuable resource to founders and business leaders, as our scaling businesses attest to, yet often they find it difficult to always know where to look to connect with the right mentor for their needs, so it's excellent to see MentorsMe revitalised. It will lay out more clearly the options available across the country of the organisations providing mentoring services and help businesses navigate these.