When Lucy Maingi first stepped into the world of mentoring, she thought she knew what it meant to support entrepreneurs. As a Gender and Business Development Specialist at Strathmore University’s USAID Strategic Partnership Programme in Kenya, she had spent 14 years supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)—especially youth and women-led start-ups—on business growth strategies. She believed that being a good mentor meant offering the right advice at the right time. 

But something wasn’t working. “I often found myself giving solutions instead of helping entrepreneurs develop their own,” Lucy reflects. “I wanted to empower them, but I was doing most of the thinking for them.” 

Lucy realised she needed a different approach. That’s when she discovered the Mentoring Skills & Practice (MSP) course by The Human Edge. 

Lucy entered the programme expecting to learn a few new techniques—but she walked away with an entirely new way of seeing mentoring. The programme challenged her to step back, listen more and resist the urge to jump in with solutions. “I realised that true mentoring isn’t about fixing problems—it’s about guiding mentees to find their own answers,” she says. “I became more intentional about listening without rushing to provide advice.” 

One of the most powerful tools she gained was the ability to ask deeper, more thought-provoking questions—questions that helped her mentees unlock solutions they hadn’t seen before. 

The shift in Lucy’s approach had an immediate and profound effect on the entrepreneurs she worked with. 

• From struggling to scaling – A woman entrepreneur in agribusiness was overwhelmed by financial management. Instead of offering a ready-made solution, Lucy guided her through financial tracking techniques, helping her develop a system that worked. In just three months, the entrepreneur’s revenue increased by 40%. 

• From uncertainty to confidence – A young entrepreneur in e-commerce struggled with customer retention. Lucy used mentoring frameworks to help him refine his value proposition and engagement strategy. The result? A 70% increase in customer retention in three months. 

“Before MSP, I would have just given them a plan to follow,” Lucy admits. “Now, I help them create their own.” 

Mentoring isn’t always smooth sailing. Lucy encountered mentees resistant to change—some expected instant solutions, while others doubted their ability to solve problems themselves. 

MSP equipped her with motivational techniques to break change into manageable steps. She learned how to set clear expectations from the start—helping mentees see mentoring as a collaborative process rather than a one-way street. 

As a result, mentee engagement skyrocketed: 

• 40% increase in mentoring participation—entrepreneurs became more committed and proactive in their sessions. 

• 70% of mentored MSMEs reported business growth, thanks to structured mentoring approaches. 

• 35% of mentees secured funding, after improving their financial literacy and business planning. 

Beyond her individual work, Lucy’s experience with MSP is shaping how the entire programme supports entrepreneurs. Her team has adopted goal-oriented mentoring frameworks, ensuring that every session has clear objectives, measurable progress and real impact. “Our mentoring engagements have become more structured, more intentional,” Lucy shares. “We now focus on sustainable solutions that equip entrepreneurs to thrive post-programme implementation period.” 

Her vision is to expand structured mentoring across Kenya, particularly for women, youth and persons with disabilities—giving them the skills, confidence and networks to build resilient, scalable businesses. “MSP isn’t just about mentoring—it’s about unlocking potential,” she says. “It has changed the way I work and it’s changing lives.” 

Lucy’s story is just one example of how the Mentoring Skills Programme is creating real, lasting change. It’s clear proof that investing in mentoring delivers tangible business growth, financial resilience and ecosystem-wide transformation. 

Lucy took part in the Mentoring Skills and Practice for Supporter of Entrepreneurs Course in September 2024. The programme involved 123 mentors from 16 countries across SSA and MENA. For more details on the Mentoring Skills and Practice Course, click here.