Sage surveyed more than 11,000 small and medium sized businesses in 17 countries across the world, to find out their attitudes towards business mentoring. While an overwhelming majority recognise that mentoring can help them to succeed, very few currently make use of SMB mentoring.
Global statistics
- 93% of small and medium sized businesses acknowledge that mentoring can help them to succeed.
- 28% of small and medium sized business currently make use of business mentors
- 27% of business decision-makers would be most likely to go to people they know for business advice and mentoring.
- 9% of business decision-makers would go to ‘select business mentors’ as their first option for business advice.
Mentoring league table
| North Africa (Tunisia and Morocco) | 52% make use of business mentors |
| Spain | 47% make use of business mentors |
| Malaysia | 43% make use of business mentors |
| South Africa | 34% make use of business mentors |
| Canada | 30% make use of business mentors |
| Brazil | 29% make use of business mentors |
| Ireland | 29% make use of business mentors |
| Switzerland | 28% make use of business mentors |
| US | 26% make use of business mentors |
| France | 24% make use of business mentors |
| Singapore | 23% make use of business mentors |
| Germany | 22% make use of business mentors |
| UK | 22% make use of business mentors |
| Austria | 21% make use of business mentors |
| Poland | 14% make use of business mentors |
| Portugal | 14% make use of business mentors |
This data is taken from the 2013 Sage Business Index where Sage surveyed over 11,000 small and medium sized businesses in 17 countries across the world. More information about the Business Index can be accessed at: businessindex.sage.com
UK statistics
- Nearly a third of UK business admit they have found it challenging controlling their business costs (32%) and effectively marketing themselves (31%), while over a quarter say they struggle with having a broad enough customer base (27%)
- Nearly a quarter of UK businesses (23%) highlighted a shortage of information on mentoring as a barrier to its widespread adoption
- While 22% said that a lack of proof that mentoring can help businesses to grow hindered its uptake
This data is taken from the Sage UK Omnibus April 2014, where Sage surveyed more than 500 small and medium sized businesses in the UK about their views on mentoring.
