These are our worthy Yell Mentoring Works Awards finalists, who all impressed the judges with the brilliant advice and support they have given small businesses over the last 12 months.

Swanrad is otherwise known as Tony and is a director at a small private equity firm. He is passionate about helping a new generation of businesses succeed. He believes that despite the economic down turn there are plenty of opportunities for solid, well run businesses.

He told us, “When times were good businesses of varying quality were able to cruise along. That’s no longer the case and in my view it’s made businesses think more creatively and work harder, making the requests I get via horsesmouth more interesting than ever. It’s also encouraged a whole host of people to consider setting up businesses for the first time.”

Tony is always surprised at how little good advice there is out there in a country which is really entrepreneurial. “I get asked all the time where start-ups can get funding and it feels like this should be more clearly communicated by government and education providers. I regularly signpost to organisations like the BNI and think it’s great that horsesmouth mentors can point people in the right direction”.

Tony finds that a lot of business owners are uncomfortable with being in sales and gives them simple ways to overcome this. One of his favourite pieces of advice is to ‘pick up the phone and make things happen’. He is lucky enough to work with experienced colleagues who he uses as informal business mentors and is keen to help others in the same way by sharing his own knowledge of sales, marketing and business investment.



4Support is John Bryans, an experienced and professionally qualified life and business coach. He has been mentoring on horsesmouth.co.uk for a couple of years after he made a conscious decision to give 10% of his expertise to coach people on a pro-bono basis. As well as giving this time to being a horsesmouth mentor he is also a trustee of his local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Aware that coaching is not something many people readily understand or are in a position to pay for; he believes that horsesmouth gives them an accessible and ‘risk-free’ way of experiencing the benefits of coaching first-hand. He comments: “Business issues I respond to again and again are stress-related, which can cover a multitude of issues, and a lack of confidence or low self-esteem which can have an impact in people’s personal and business lives. I have come across business owners who are stuck on how to market themselves and find new clients. To help them I listen, challenge them and facilitate a process where individuals make their own choices but are helped by me to succeed.”


Figgy is Maggie Currie, a qualified life coach and corporate coach, sports psychologist, mother and business woman who is interested in results – no ifs, no buts! She is skilled in rebuilding people's self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to develop to their full potential.

Her own life has been very varied – Maggie was married at 19 and had 3 children. The marriage did not work; she left her husband and lived in a 1 bed flat with 3 children under 7. She had no work, no money, and no friends and could see no end to her struggles. However, with positive thinking and determination she got out of that situation. She started her own secretarial business and built it up from just 1 client in 2004 to over 60. Two years ago she set up a training and coaching company which is now growing slowly year on year.

Maggie says, “I have learned so much from so many different people over the years and I want to help other people to achieve as much as they can. Everyone deserves a chance to succeed but nobody can do it alone and I know how valuable a mentor can be. I want to give people a chance to succeed which they may not have had the chance to do otherwise. We should all strive to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be and I want to share my knowledge and experiences with others so they won't make the same mistakes that I have made.”

Blankcanvas, known to the outside world as Simon Harris, is a qualified life coach with an HR background. He first came across horsesmouth when he was studying to be a life coach and enjoys using the site to develop his own professional skills and to help other people be successful. He gets four or five people coming to him for help every week.

Simon says, “Most requests for help are from those in the early stages of starting a business, who need help with the first steps of running a business, for example how to write a business plan or researching the competition. I hear from a lot of people with both business and personal issues to overcome.”

He hears a lot from 25-30 year olds who wonder whether to keep the career they are in or to take the plunge and set up a business. There are often personal triggers which influence this decision such as a need for security of income. He continues, “We all need someone to talk to and I have been fortunate to have had people around me to help when needed and I realise not everyone is that fortunate. Mentoring is a positive move to help anyone with moving on and making change for the better. If you’re on horsesmouth then you are one step closer to making a difference to your future.”



Amisha is originally from London but is currently living in Brazil after following the job opportunity of a life time to work with Endeavor Brazil which identifies and supports high-impact entrepreneurs.

Whilst in London she worked for Enterprise UK, which promotes entrepreneurship in the UK, and set up Nu Magazine, which won a Future 100 Award, with work colleague Lauren Maleh. She tells us, “My own mentors are BRILLIANT and their advice has saved me a lot of time and effort - the magazine really grew fast due to them! I'd like to help anyone find the same sort of people, and maybe give a little bit of advice along the way - I'm no expert but sometimes it's good to get an outside eye on things.”

Despite living in Brazil the flexibility of horsesmouth means she has been able to continue to mentor and give advice to those who need it.