The worst part about being a solopreneur isn't the work—it's making every decision alone.
You're constantly second-guessing yourself. Should I raise my rates? Is this client worth keeping? Am I building this offer correctly? Should I pivot my positioning?
The questions never stop, and there's no team or co-founder to hash things out.
That's why so many solopreneurs turn to business coaches.
The right mentor can save you months of trial and error, help you avoid expensive mistakes, and give you the confidence to make bold moves. The wrong one wastes your money and sets you back.
In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to choose a business mentor who understands your specific challenges and can help you scale without regret.
Why a business mentor matters (but only the right one)
Let me be clear: you don't need a mentor to build a successful business.
But having the right one changes everything.
The highest-earning solopreneurs I know didn't get there alone. They made bold moves, took scary risks, and had coaches and peers to help them think it through.
Notice I said "help them think it through"—not tell them what to do.
A good mentor doesn't give you a paint-by-numbers system. They help you make better decisions for your specific situation.
But most people choose mentors based on the wrong criteria. They pick the loudest person on LinkedIn or the coach with the most followers. They choose based on charisma instead of capability.
That's how you end up with surface-level advice that sounds good but doesn't work for your business.
Mentors are multipliers, not magic bullets. They accelerate what you're already building—they don't build it for you.
The right mentor has walked your path and can help you navigate the specific challenges of your business model. The wrong mentor gives you generic frameworks that work for everyone and no one.
10 ways to choose a business mentor for your solo business
Here are a few tips to help you find the right business coach:
1. Define your business needs first
Before you start looking for a mentor, get clear on what type of help you need.
Are you looking for strategic guidance on scaling your business? Do you need accountability to follow through on your plans? Or do you need specific skills coaching in areas like sales or marketing?
Different mentors excel at different things. A strategic mentor helps you make big-picture decisions about your business direction. An accountability coach keeps you on track with implementation. A skills-based mentor teaches you tactical abilities.
Most solopreneurs make the mistake of choosing a mentor before they know what kind of help they need. They end up frustrated because they wanted strategic guidance but got tactical advice, or vice versa.
Take time to identify your biggest bottleneck. Is it generating leads consistently? Is it closing higher-value deals? Is it systematizing your delivery so you can scale?
Once you're clear on your primary need, you can find a mentor who specializes in solving that specific problem.
2. Look for aligned experience
This should be obvious, but most people get it wrong.
Ask yourself: has this person built what you want to build?
Not just "built a business"—built the specific type of business you want.
If you're a service-based solopreneur trying to scale without hiring a team, don't work with someone who built a traditional agency with 100+ employees. Their advice won't translate to your model.
I see this mismatch constantly. Product entrepreneurs trying to coach service providers. Agency owners trying to mentor solo business owners. Course creators coaching consultants.
The strategies that work for one business model often fail spectacularly in another.
Avoid experts who've never built a real business. You want a mentor who has felt the weight of payroll, not just someone who can write a good thread.
Look for mentors who have navigated the specific challenges you're facing. If you want to scale a consulting business, find someone who has scaled a consulting business—not someone who teaches "business growth" in the abstract.
3. Prioritize real-world experience over online fame
The loudest voices on social media are rarely the best mentors.
Someone with 100K followers might know how to create viral content, but that doesn't mean they know how to scale a service business.
Choose mentors who've built what you want to build—not just those who talk about it online.
I've seen too many solopreneurs get starstruck by influencer coaches who have never actually run the type of business they're trying to coach.
Look past the follower count and polished LinkedIn posts. Ask for specifics about their business experience, for example:
- How much revenue did they generate?
- What type of clients did they serve?
- How did they structure their offers?
- What were their biggest challenges, and how did they overcome them?
A real practitioner can answer these questions with specific details and concrete examples. An influencer gives you vague platitudes about "mindset" and "strategy."
4. Look for strategic thinking, not just tactics
Tactics are easy to find. YouTube is full of them.
What's rare is someone who can help you think strategically about your business.
A great mentor helps you make decisions, not just complete tasks.
They don't just tell you which marketing tactics to use—they help you understand why those tactics make sense for your specific business model and market position.
They don't just give you a sales script—they help you develop a sales approach that aligns with your expertise and client type.
The best mentors I've worked with asked better questions than they gave answers. They helped me see blind spots in my thinking and challenged assumptions I didn't even know I was making. And that's why I take that approach, too.
Avoid mentors who promise quick fixes or give you step-by-step systems without understanding your unique situation first.
5. Match their playbook to your business goals
Your ideal mentor has solved the exact kinds of problems you're facing—in your industry, at your stage.
If you're trying to move from $100K to $500K in annual revenue, don't work with someone who has a big audience but small income. Their strategies won't scale to your level.
If you're in a technical consulting field, working with a lifestyle coach won't help you navigate client objections or position your expertise.
The most effective mentoring relationships happen when there's a close match between the mentor's experience and your current business challenges.
Look for mentors who have been exactly where you want to go, using a business model similar to yours.
6. Seek clarity and alignment, not just hype
The right mentor asks better questions and helps you think clearly.
They don't pump you up with motivational speeches—they help you see your situation more objectively and make better decisions.
Mentorship is a cheat code when it comes from someone who's done the thing.
But that cheat code only works if the mentor's approach aligns with your values and business philosophy.
If you value sustainable growth, don't work with someone who preaches "hustle culture" and aggressive scaling tactics.
The best mentoring relationships happen when there's philosophical alignment between mentor and mentee.
7. Test their track record, not just their testimonials
Anyone can cherry-pick positive testimonials.
Look for proof of actual results, such as past clients who have achieved measurable success, businesses they've built, and specific decisions they've navigated.
Ask for case studies or examples of clients in similar situations to yours.
A good mentor should be able to point to multiple clients who've achieved the kind of results you want—using strategies that apply to your business model. You can see my Wall of Love here, showing you the exact outcomes I help with:
Be especially wary of mentors who can only provide testimonials about "mindset shifts" or "clarity" without concrete business outcomes.
8. Choose someone you can be honest with
Mentorship should be a safe space where you can admit mistakes, share fears, and discuss challenges without judgment.
If you find yourself trying to impress your mentor or hiding problems from them, the relationship won't work.
The best mentors create an environment where you feel comfortable being vulnerable about your business struggles.
They've been through similar challenges themselves, so they understand the emotional ups and downs of building a business.
Look for mentors who share their failures and challenges, not just their successes.
9. Avoid one-size-fits-all frameworks
The best mentors tailor their advice to you, not just plug you into a system.
Beware of mentors who try to force every client through the same process or framework, regardless of their unique situation.
Your business is different from everyone else's. Your market is different. Your strengths are different. Your constraints are different.
A good mentor recognizes these differences and adapts their approach accordingly.
They ask detailed questions about your specific situation before giving advice. They tailor their recommendations to your industry, business model, and objectives.
Generic frameworks might work for some people, but they rarely work for everyone.
10. See if your communication styles align
Beyond values, pay attention to communication styles. Some mentors are prescriptive—they tell you exactly what to do. Others are exploratory—they ask questions and help you discover solutions.
Neither approach is wrong, but one might work better for your personality and learning style.
Directive mentors work well if you want clear action steps and don't mind being told what to do. Exploratory mentors work better if you prefer to think through decisions and want to understand the reasoning behind recommendations.
Here's a red flag: if you find yourself constantly explaining your "why" to your mentor, the relationship is misaligned.
A good mentor should understand your motivations and business philosophy without you having to justify them repeatedly.
During initial conversations, notice whether the mentor seems to "get" your perspective or if they keep pushing approaches that feel wrong for your situation.
Trust that feeling of misalignment. It usually gets worse over time, not better.
Choose boldly but wisely
Mentorship accelerates your journey when it's aligned with your specific needs and business model. The key word is "aligned."
The highest-earning founders I know didn't get there alone. They made bold moves, took scary risks, and had coaches and peers to help them think it through.
A mentor who's perfect for someone else might be completely wrong for you. Someone who's built a successful business in a different industry or using a different model might give you advice that backfires.
Don't choose a mentor simply because they're famous or have a great marketing strategy. Choose them because they've walked your specific path and can help you navigate the challenges ahead.
Take time to vet potential mentors thoroughly. Ask hard questions about their experience. Look for evidence of real results with clients like you.
Most importantly, trust your instincts. If something feels off during initial conversations, pay attention to that feeling.
Your business deserves that level of expertise and alignment. And if you’re ready to take the next step, reach out to me and learn more about how I can help:
