So, you’ve got your business up and running. Maybe things are chugging along very nicely. Maybe you’re struggling. Whichever the case, as a new-ish business owner (in business for one to three years) you may find that you have a lot of questions, or you have ideas you’d like to bounce off someone with more experience, or maybe, just maybe, you’re wondering how to take your business to a higher level.

There are several ways you can get there. You can create an advisory board (check out Chris Green’s article, Mentoring for Small Business: Advisory Boards). You can hire a business coach. You can also look for a mentor who can work with you, one-on-one, to help you talk through your ideas and get a clearer idea of where you’d like to take your business.

Jill Earthy, executive director of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs of British Columbia (FWE), explains mentorship as “a mutual exchange of information, skills and expertise. Mentors are unbiased supporters. They’re there to support and guide – not necessarily to offer advice, but to be a sounding board for entrepreneurs as they make difficult decisions,” adding, “It’s like anything. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”

One of the advantages to having a mentor is the structure it provides; knowing that you have a meeting coming up, that you’re accountable to someone, can help you push yourself further.

FWE offers a program where it matches women entrepreneurs with mentors from the corporate, financial, or entrepreneurial sectors.

Their 10-month Mentorship Program runs September through June, and gives entrepreneurs access to a mentor once-a-month (by phone or in person), and provides three networking/educational events throughout the year, all for the nominal fee of $100. FWE is non-profit, and the program fee helps offset some of the costs of running the events.

If you’re interested in being a part of the 2010/11 program, you’ll need to apply by August 1^st by filling out an extensive information sheet, which you can get through the FWE.

“We spend a significant amount of time looking at the sheets, making the right pairings,” says Jill.

Everyone in BC is welcome to apply, as long as you meet the requirements. For example, you must already have a business and be interested in growing it. If you just have an idea, Jill suggests you check out the Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC) to help you get through the start-up phase. You should also become a member of FWE.

In addition to the Mentor Program, the FWE offers six other programs (soon to be seven) to help entrepreneurs at just about any stage of business. Some of the programs include Roundtables, Peer Advisory Circles, and Member Forums.

Roundtables are talks given by a panel of guest speakers, followed by break-out groups where participants can discuss the topic of the day as well as their own challenges and ideas related to the topic. The Roundtables are open to the first 100 people, and usually sell out.

“There’s a lot of power and openness that takes place in these groups,” says Jill. One example of a topic they held recently was “A Brand Called You.”

Member Forums are held every two weeks and open to the first 12 people to sign up, which means the group is always changing. This is a chance to meet new people, participate in facilitated group discussions, and bring forward any challenges or issues you’d like to discuss concerning your business.

Peer Advisory Circles are made up of small groups of business women, divided by business revenue. Currently has two groups meeting, one for businesses making half a million, and one for businesses making $3 – $5 million in revenue. Jill notes two more circles are expected to start in the Fall, and the revenue rate will depend “on where the need is at the moment.”

As a side note, if you live in San Francisco, USA, you may want to check out the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs & Executives (FWE&E).