Over the past month I've been talking to a lot of small business owners about what's happening in their businesses.  Many have been affected by the recession and not always in a bad way!

Typically business owners have their heads down working busily in their business - whether it's because they in survival mode or because they are busier than they can handle.

This can mean they have some of the challenges below:

• Working re-actively rather than pro-actively so always feeling pulled in different directions
• Having to work harder to win contracts and retain customers
• Focusing on quick-wins and low-hanging-fruit to keep cash coming in now, but sacrificing strategies which will prepare them for the end of the recession
• Carrying the burden of stress in order to protect staff from bad news or to try and keep them motivated
• Not being able to find the right staff to cope with the everyday demands of the job and/or rapid growth

Lots of people tell me that they have heard that working with a business coach or mentor can help them to step back and look at what's really going on in their businesses and it's true, yet when you're trying to find the right coach or mentor, it can be a minefield!

Do you need a small business coach, a life coach, an executive coach, a leadership coach, a business mentor, adviser, consultant?  The list could go on.

And even once you've narrowed down what you need, finding the person who can deliver the goods and help you with the survival or growth of your business can be tricky.  For example, a life coach could help you with areas such as stress management and goal setting, but may be ill-equipped to help you with making strategic decisions in your business.  Equally a business adviser can talk you through the practicalities of making changes in your business, but not be able to help you develop soft skills such as leadership skills, communication skills or help you deal with stress or overload.

For this reason, I've written an article on the subject which may help if you are considering working with a small business coach, mentor, life coach etc.  You can find the article at http://www.smeacademy.co.uk/articles-video-tips/personal-development/small-business-coach-or-mentor/