Questions to ask a business mentor

Which question would make tomorrow's work clearer? Choose that question before your first business mentoring appointment. You may have a long list of worries. Giving one of them a clear shape makes it easier to ask for useful help.

A new owner can ask for guidance while the business is still being planned. Bring the information you have, explain what remains uncertain, and describe the decision you need to make.

Find a free appointment

The SBA information about SCORE says mentors give business advice at no cost. They work with people by email, telephone, and video. The page identifies business planning, financing, and human resources among the subjects they cover.

Use the contact route on that page to find a mentor. Say which subject you want help with. Ask how the appointment works and what information would help the mentor prepare.

Confirm that the appointment is free. State the kind of support you need when you make contact, and check the particular offer you are considering. Keep your request focused on the free mentoring service.

Choose a decision with a real consequence

Look at what you are about to do. You may be considering a purchase, setting a price, or deciding which customer group to approach first. Write the decision as a question that another person can understand.

Include the choice you face and what makes it difficult. Name the limit on your money or time. If an answer depends on information you still need, write that beside the question.

Keep a second page for other concerns. This lets you remember them while giving the appointment a main purpose. Ask the mentor which of those concerns belongs in a later conversation.

Bring facts in a form you can explain

Use a brief description of the offer and the people you hope will buy it. Add any current cost information and the time you have available. If the business already operates, bring relevant records with private details removed where possible.

Separate a confirmed figure from an estimate. State the source of a quoted cost. Describe customer conversations accurately. Give the mentor enough information to ask a useful follow-up question.

The SBA's business plan guidance covers customers, products or services, costs, and revenue. Use those headings to sort your notes if the idea feels scattered. You can work on the section that relates to the appointment first.

Say what you need explained

Ask the mentor to explain an unfamiliar term in ordinary words. Repeat your understanding in your own words and check it. Write down the part that affects your decision.

If advice depends on a legal, tax, or licensing question, ask where to find the responsible public office or a suitable free source. Keep the unresolved question visible. Confirm the answer for your own location before relying on it.

Tell the mentor when a suggested task exceeds your available time or money. Ask for a smaller way to gather the necessary information. A task you can complete gives the next conversation a firmer starting point.

Leave with one action you understand

Before the appointment ends, identify the action you will take and the information it should produce. Set a date that fits your week. Ask whether you can return to the mentor with the result.

Keep the appointment notes where you can find them. Record the date, the decision discussed, and the next task. When you return, show what you learned and which question remains.

If the next action requires spending, check the amount before agreeing to it. Use the free appointment to examine the choice while your money remains available.

You can also write down how you prefer to receive instructions. Ask for a short written action if that helps you remember. If the appointment is by phone, choose a place where you can hear and take notes. Keep the page with your main question beside you, and refer back to it when the conversation starts covering several subjects at once.

Write your main question on one page, request a free appointment, and open the Build a business page for the resources to use alongside it.