In 2003, the National Women's Business Council released a study entitled, "Mentoring in the Business Environment." The report examined existing, formal mentoring programs for women and men business owners by comparing program structures, identifying best practices, and exploring the unique characteristics among programs geared specifically to women.

A key recommendation that emerged from this study was the creation of this special web page, which is designed to serve as a single point of entry to business mentoring resources and information about existing programs.

Please note that this "portal" includes programs that have been identified as working with women business owners. It is not intended to be a full listing of all formal business mentoring programs. For more information about this portal or to provide us with feedback and suggestions for other programs we might include, please send an email to info@nwbc.gov.

About Business Mentoring in the United States

Mentoring is a concept that has been defined in many ways, including a one-to-one interaction or counseling, as well as group interaction or counseling. While there is no generally agreed upon definition of what business mentoring entails or what form it takes, it is clear that there is a growing interest in mentoring for and by business owners, and an increasing number of such programs. Business mentoring occurs throughout today's business environment, both formally and informally, and across sectors.

Formal business mentoring differs from the informal in that formal mentoring is typically the product of planned programming. Formal business mentoring programs can be found under public and private auspices at the local, state and national levels. These programs employ diverse models, establish varying eligibility requirements and target different audiences, among other characteristics. The purpose of each program, however, is fundamentally the same -- to foster the success of business owners.

Programs

This page lists several mentoring programs of interest to entrepreneurial business women.

Mentoring Resources

This page references numerous articles, briefs, books and other written information about women in business.