What’s the difference and why it matters for solo business owners

I didn’t always know the difference between coaching and mentoring. In fact, like many business owners I now work with, I used to see them as more or less the same thing: someone more experienced offering guidance. But over the years—and especially through my own coach training and practice—I began to realise the distinction isn’t just academic. It fundamentally changes how people grow, lead, and succeed.

Confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t. It’s built—gradually, intentionally—through action, reflection, and alignment with your values.

At Startup School for Seniors and in my coaching with solo business owners, I often meet people who have brilliant ideas and deep motivation… but feel stuck by a lack of confidence. Whether it’s imposter syndrome, fear of failure, or feeling overwhelmed, the result is the same: inaction.

In the bustling world of business, where chaos often reigns supreme, I've always had a knack for bringing order to the storm. My name is Mark Elliott, and my special skill has always been to systemise and sort, to simplify and make the complex both repeatable and manageable. This isn't just a skill I've honed; it's a part of who I am, deeply intertwined with my neurodivergent origins that I've come to embrace as my superpower.

Starting a business can be exhilarating, daunting and downright scary, especially if you’ve never run a business on your own before. However, the skills and experiences accumulated throughout your career and life are more valuable than you might realise. You can make your business successful by using these skills, particularly those you gained working with customers and embracing a continuous improvement mindset. Here’s how to recognise and build on relevant experience to build your new business.

A Roadmap to Success

At Mark Elliott Coaching, we believe in the transformative power of setting clear and actionable goals. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a small business owner, or leading a team, having a structured plan is crucial for sustained success. In this blog post, we’ll explore why annual and quarterly goals are essential for your business and extend an open invitation to join me in my upcoming goal-setting sessions.

Whether you are looking for practical business advice, a more personal and relationship-based approach with business mentoring, or a holistic approach to coaching, I am here to help. My goal is to support and guide you on your journey as business or agency owner, and to help you achieve success on your terms.

Is that it..?

Is that all…?

I gentle challenge from my own critical friend to extend and be brave with my own actions.

Lisa James, CEO of The Wentworth Collective writes about how her Design Thinking and Art of Gathering helped her, pivot and assist her clients during the first stages of the pandemic lockdown… Over to you Lisa

Raising finance is hard, Raising finance when you are over 50 is harder.
I’ve heard investors ask whether older founders are going to be with us long… But there are things you can do to maximize your chances.

Today I smiled.

Starting out on your own after a successful career, can be daunting, but setting better goals leads to better choices about how you deliver value to clients.

Working a portfolio career with multiple strands it can feel that I’m juggling with too many balls, all the time.

Sometimes you might be required to do just that, put a number to it. People such as funders, banks and investors will ask for these numbers. And in reality you as a founder should also be curious and confident about how successful your new idea…