Business Mentor NY – a program of Empire State Development

Program Update

Mentees and Mentors,

We appreciate your interest in mentorship. Please be advised that after March 31, 2024, the Business Mentor NY Program will cease to operate. However, you can continue to access mentoring services by contacting Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers in your area at esd.ny.gov/eac-directory to obtain one-on-one counseling with your current business idea or small business.

If you would like to continue offering pro bono mentoring services to entrepreneurs or small business owners, please email us at nylovessmbiz@esd.ny.gov with your core business skills, experience or education and your preferred service area.

Reach Out to Mentors

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Once you have created a strong MicroMentor profile that describes your business and business needs, then it’s time to connect with a mentor.

To do this, go to the Mentors search page and use the search boxes and filters to narrow down your results. Think about what is the most important filtering criteria to you—that they match your industry, have a particular expertise, or can meet you locally.

Once you have found a mentor who seems like a good fit, use the Start a Conversation button to send that person a brief, personalized message.

When writing to mentors, respect their time and help them to understand how their experience relates to your issue. Just like a good cover letter, this is your space to describe your relevancy and significance.

While you are searching for mentors who can help you, they are also searching for entrepreneurs to help. If a mentor connects with you first, you will receive an email notification. You should then review that mentor’s conversation message and profile to determine whether he or she is a good fit for your mentoring needs.

Next: Make the Most of Your Time with Your Mentor
MicroMentor is the world's largest online business mentorship program