Coaching vs Mentoring: A Femmeprenista's Guide to Growth
- (Admin) The Thrivology Company
- Jul 13, 2024
- 8 min read
Coaching vs. Mentoring: Decoding the Right Support for Your Femmeprenista Journey
Ever felt like you’re pouring your heart & soul into your business, juggling all the things (especially with little ones underfoot!), & you know you need support, but you’re just not sure what kind of support will actually move the needle? You’re not alone. I’ve been there, staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m., wondering who or what could possibly help me untangle the latest business knot or leap over the newest hurdle. You know that feeling, right?
As a CEO, a mum of four (yes, four!), a PhD researcher (often juggling the baby while researching!), & someone who’s both invested in guidance & now provides it to other incredible female entrepreneurs, I’ve learned a crucial lesson: understanding the difference between coaching & mentoring isn’t just semantics. It’s a fundamental key to unlocking targeted growth, avoiding overwhelm, & taking powerful ownership of your entrepreneurial path. And let's be honest, when you're navigating the beautiful chaos of motherhood and business, every bit of clarity counts! Many female entrepreneurs also face unique societal expectations and financial pressures while trying to create wealth.
So, let’s demystify this, shall we? Grab a cuppa (or maybe something stronger, I’m not judging – it’s wine o’clock somewhere!), & let’s talk about getting you the right kind of support.
What’s the Real Difference? Demystifying Coaching & Mentoring
Okay, let’s get straight to it. Coaching & mentoring are both incredibly valuable, but they serve different purposes. Understanding this distinction is pure power.
Think of it like this: A coach helps you learn to drive any car, on any road, in any conditions. They’re focused on building your skills, your awareness, & your ability to navigate. They’ll ask powerful questions to help you find your own answers, work with you on your mindset & your strategy, and hold you accountable for taking action. Coaching is often future-focused, helping you get from where you are to where you want to be by unlocking what’s already within you or helping you build new capabilities. It’s about the ‘how.’
A mentor, on the other hand, is like someone who’s already driven a very specific, challenging route & is now handing you their map & sharing stories from their journey. They offer advice, share their experiences (the wins & the war wounds!), & provide guidance based on what worked for them. Mentoring is often about sharing wisdom from the past & present to help you navigate a similar path. It’s more about the ‘what.’
I remember when I was deep in my MBA studies (with a baby!), juggling a young child & intense academic pressure. Honestly, some days felt like I was cleaning up one mess only to trip over another! There were times I sought out people who had ‘been there, done that’ (mentors) for specific academic hurdles. However, what truly propelled me forward in shaping my future business vision was the coaching approach inherent in some of the best Socratic questioning from my lecturers – pushing me to define my own path, not just replicate theirs.
Why This Distinction is Your Secret Weapon (Especially When You’re Juggling It All!)
Understanding this difference isn’t just a nice-to-know; it’s an act of empowerment & personal responsibility – two values we hold dear here at Femmeprenista. When you know what you’re looking for, you can make truly informed decisions about where to invest your precious time, energy, & resources. And goodness knows, as ambitious women, particularly mothers, those resources are gold dust!
Here’s why getting clear on this helps you navigate your journey with more grace and less frantic wheel-spinning:
Smarter Investments: You’ll stop throwing money at generic advice or support that isn’t tailored to what you actually need to develop. No more signing up for a mentorship programme hoping for skill-building, or a coaching programme expecting ready-made answers.
Prevents Frustration: Ever hired someone who just told you inspiring stories but didn’t actually help you change your approach or get unstuck? Or perhaps you’ve felt pressured by a coach to find answers when you genuinely lacked the foundational knowledge?
Accelerates Real Growth: Pinpoint whether you need skill development & mindset shifts (coaching) or experienced advice & a roadmap (mentoring). You get targeted support that addresses your specific gaps & goals. This is how you build sustainable momentum & achieve that holistic success we all crave – where your business thrives and your well-being is prioritised.
Choosing the Right Guide for Your Current Chapter: Tailoring Support to Your Stage
The kind of support that will serve you best often depends on where you are in your entrepreneurial journey. Your needs as a Foundation Builder are quite different from those of a Scaling Leader or a Visionary Leader.
Are You a Foundation Builder?
If you’re in the early stages – perhaps validating a brilliant idea, figuring out your niche, battling those inevitable confidence wobbles, or aiming to secure your first clients – you're what we call a Foundation Builder. At this stage, what often makes the biggest difference is coaching.
What you might need: Support to gain crystal clarity on your vision & offerings, build unshakeable self-belief & resilience to navigate the early uncertainties (this is where cultivating that strong inner Focus comes in). You’re likely looking for help in finding your unique voice, defining who you serve, and crafting an authentic message that truly connects (developing your business Flair). A coach can help you validate your ideas & create a solid action plan to launch with confidence.
For instance, our Spark Program is specifically designed as a coaching accelerator to help Foundation Builders get this essential clarity & build that foundational action plan before making huge investments.
Are You a Scaling Leader?
Perhaps your business is established, you have traction, & you’re ready to grow, but you’re hitting plateaus or feeling overwhelmed by the increasing complexity. As a Scaling Leader, your needs shift. Studies show that Many businesses experience growth plateaus within 3-5 years (for example, they struggle to get past the £10k/month revenue mark).
What you might need: Strategic coaching can be invaluable here to help you develop sustainable growth strategies, implement efficient systems (hello, streamlined Flow, perhaps even integrating smart AI tools with Fusion to really make things hum!), & master the leadership mindset required for scaling. This is often about building frameworks within your business. At this stage, you might also benefit from mentorship from someone who has successfully scaled a business in your specific industry, offering high-level insights or opening doors. Remember though scaling leaders know that "Poor people major in minor things, wealthy people Major in Major things" - Myron Golden
Our Momentum Coaching programme, for example, is a 1:1 coaching accelerator focused on helping Scaling Leaders implement these tailored strategies & achieve sustainable growth without burnout.
Are You a Visionary Leader?
For those of you leading thriving, established businesses & focusing on exponential growth, team leadership, & legacy building, you’re a Visionary Leader.
What you might need: As a visionary leader, you are likely a high-performing individual, but at times that can feel lonely. Perhaps you need somebody to listen and provide insights from the outside that are practical, but also keep you accountable as you grow the business exponentially. As a Visionary Leader, high-level strategic coaching (like our Ascend Executive Coaching) can provide a crucial sounding board & strategic partnership that allows you to work on being that whale that makes your own current. Peer advisory groups become incredibly important, & targeted mentorship from individuals who have built significant legacies or navigated similar large-scale challenges can offer unparalleled wisdom.
The key is to honestly assess what will truly help you overcome your current obstacles and reach your next milestone.
The Femmeprenista Approach: Equipping You to Flourish
Here at Femmeprenista, our entire philosophy is built around empowering you, the ambitious female entrepreneur, with the strategies, systems, mindset shifts, & community support you need to build a business that not only succeeds financially but also allows you to live a life you genuinely love. We want to see you flourish, holistically.
Our core offerings – like Spark, Launch, Momentum, & Ascend – are primarily coaching-centric programmes. Why? Because we believe in equipping you with the enduring skills and frameworks to navigate any challenge your business throws at you. We focus on helping you cultivate:
Focus: Building that resilient mindset, unwavering clarity, & the confidence to lead.
Flair: Developing your authentic brand & marketing that draws your ideal clients in, effortlessly.
Flow: Implementing those smart, streamlined systems (yes, including practical AI!) that give you back your precious time & energy.
Fuel: Integrating wellbeing practices so you can sustain your energy & passion, preventing burnout & truly enjoying the journey.
Fusion: Strategically weaving AI throughout your business to amplify your efforts & work smarter.
(If you're curious about our underlying methodology, you can read more about Business Flourish Framework here.)
While our programmes are geared towards building your capability through coaching, we also know the immense power of connection. That’s why our free global community, Femme:Connect Community, is such a vital part of our ecosystem. It’s a space for authentic networking, peer support, & collaboration. And yes, it’s often within these supportive community bonds that informal mentorship, born from shared experiences & genuine connection, naturally blossoms. I’ve seen so many women form incredible support systems there, cheering each other on & sharing invaluable insights from their own journeys.
Avoiding the Pitfalls: Making Smart Support Choices
Choosing the wrong type of support can be more than just a bit disappointing; it can be a real drain on your resources and your spirit.
I learned this the hard way myself, back when I was launching Cocoista, my Afro hair & beauty business. I was laser-focused on mentorship, seeking advice from anyone who’d built a similar brand. And while their stories were inspiring, I completely neglected building robust systems. I was so busy trying to replicate their journeys that I never built my own engine. The product flopped, and I felt completely deflated. It wasn’t until I invested in solid business coaching (focusing on my ideal client, my unique offers, my processes) that I really started seeing momentum.
One of the most common missteps I see is female entrepreneurs seeking advice (mentoring) when what they truly need is skill development & strategic implementation support (coaching), or vice versa.
Imagine your car has a flat tyre. A mentor might tell you a fantastic story about the time they had a flat tyre on a remote mountain pass & how they ingeniously used a sock & some chewing gum to get to the nearest village. Inspiring? Absolutely! Helpful for your flat tyre right now? Probably not. A coach, in this scenario, would be the one asking, "Okay, what tools do you have? What do you already know about changing a tyre? Let's break down the steps. What's the first thing you need to do?" See the difference?
When you’re already juggling the demands of business & family, the last thing you need is to invest your precious time & energy into something that doesn’t actually move you forward. This is where understanding the distinction between coaching & mentoring becomes a crucial act of self-care, protecting your energy & ensuring your efforts lead to tangible progress.
So, Coach or Mentor? The Power is in Your Informed Choice
Ultimately, both coaching & mentoring offer incredible value. The real magic happens when you can clearly identify what you need, at your current stage, to solve your specific challenges.
It’s rarely an either/or situation forever. You might benefit hugely from a coach to help you build new systems right now, & then seek out a mentor next year for industry-specific advice as you expand. Or you might even have both concurrently, helping you in different areas.
The goal isn't to pick one & stick with it blindly, but to make empowered, informed choices that provide you with the right kind of support to build your version of a flourishing business & a life you adore, without burning out in the process. Because, truly, taking ownership of the support you seek is one of the most powerful business decisions you can make.
If you think a coach would benefit you most, consider:
The Spark Programme if you are a Foundation Builder
The Launch Programme if you are a Foundation Builder
The Momentum Coaching if you are a Scaling Leader
The Ascend Executive Coaching if you are a Visionary Leader
Carlene Nisbett
Founder & CEO, Femmeprenista (Coach, Mentor, Speaker)
Wife, Mother of four, Business Owner, PhD Researcher, Pet mom, Plant mom, 5'0" tall Passionate Multitasker & Wine Lover, You get the drift
P.S. This workbook is just the beginning!
If you're looking for a supportive community of like-minded female entrepreneurs who get it, why not pop over and say hello?
We'd love to welcome you!
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