For SME teams
Good people grow, or they go.
Mentoring helps your team build the skills, confidence and judgement that only a human can teach.So they grow, and stay.
14 day free trial · No credit card required
The cost of doing nothing
Australian SMEs are losing their best people, one quiet exit at a time.
Barely 1 in 5
Most people don't leave for money. They leave when they can't see a path forward. Barely 1 in 5 employees feel engaged at work.
Source · Gallup · State of the Global Workplace 2026
Up to 2×
Replacing one good person can cost up to twice their annual salary once you count recruitment, ramp-up and lost knowledge.
Source · Gallup · AHRI
2× more engaged
People with a mentor are twice as likely to be engaged at work, and far more likely to stay.
Source · Gallup · MentorcliQ
SOUND FAMILIAR?
You're already wearing five hats.
Your team is at different stages, and they all need support.
New starters finding their feet, mid-career people looking for what's next, someone stepping up. They'd all benefit from a mentor, but you can't be that person for all of them.
Mentoring is on the list, but so is everything else.
Performance, retention, wellbeing, compliance, hiring. Leverage gives your team mentoring they can use today, without the admin. Mentoring shouldn't be a second job.
Some of them are already stuck.
Behaviour issues, blockages, people not knowing how to move forward. You can't be the only one helping them through it. Mentoring shares the load without you orchestrating every conversation.
The middle ground
Three ways businesses approach mentoring
Most SMEs end up doing nothing, or paying for a formal program. There's a better middle ground.
DIY / Informal
Coffee chats and good intentions
- Conversations happen, then fade
- No shared record of what was discussed
- Hard to see if anything actually changed
- Drops off when work gets busy
Leverage Mentoring
Structured, but light touch
- Works with relationships you already trust, or with expert Leverage mentors when the right person isn't in the building
- Each pair gets a private space to think and talk
- Notes, agendas, and actions stay in one place
- Start in minutes. No rollout. No admin.
Formal programs
Built for big organisations
- Matching algorithms and cohort management
- Heavy setup, ongoing program admin
- Months before anyone has a real conversation
- Designed around programs, not people
Relationship-led, not program-led.
That's what makes mentoring viable for SMEs.
How it works
Four steps, no rollout.
Step 1
Invite your team and keep control.
Add people by email; they run their own mentoring while you keep control of seats and access.
Invite team members
Step 2
Each pair gets a private workspace.
Goals, session plans, notes and actions, separate from the rest of the business.
Marcus & Priya
PrivateHanding over ops
4 of 6 actions complete
Step 3
They bring a mentor, or book one of ours.
Mentors they invite join free. When the right person isn't around them, they can book a expert Leverage mentor.
Expert mentor
Operations · From $120/hr
Step 4
You see engagement, never content.
Who's active, how often pairs meet, how actions are progressing. Never the private content of any conversation.
Engagement signals
- Pairs active this month
- Sessions on the calendar
- Actions in progress
Trust for them · Confidence for you
Private for them.
Visible progress for you.
Each pair's conversations stay between them, so people speak freely and mentoring actually works. You see who's active, how often pairs meet, and how actions are tracking.
What you get with a Team plan
Members are the people on your team; your subscription covers them. Each Member invites one mentoring partner of their choice free.
- 5, 10, or 25 paid Members. Each can invite 1 Partner free
- Private workspaces between each pair
- Admin dashboard with engagement metrics (not private content)
- Bulk team invites and seat management
- Priority support
From the founder
"I built Leverage because the SMEs I worked with kept asking for the same thing, a way to support their people that didn't need a full L&D team to run it. This is that tool."
Christine Kulatunga
Founder, Leverage Mentoring
Learn more
How teams get mentoring right
Practical guides on running mentoring inside an SME — the shapes, the frameworks and the traps to avoid.
- Peer mentoringWhen two people at a similar stage commit to helping each other grow.
- Leadership mentoringDeveloping the leaders your business needs, without the cost of executive coaching.
- Running a mentoring programA practical guide to designing and running a program that actually sticks.
- Mentoring frameworksGROW, peer learning, reflective practice — picking the right structure.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Leverage for?
Small and medium businesses that want their people mentored properly, without the cost or complexity of a dedicated L&D function.
How is Leverage different from a mentor directory?
A directory sells you a session. Leverage makes the sessions stick: every pair gets a private workspace where goals, notes and agreed actions carry from one conversation to the next. Your people can bring a mentor they already trust, who joins free, or book a expert Leverage mentor.
Do I need a dedicated L&D team to roll this out?
No. You invite your people by email and they run their own mentoring. Most teams are set up within an hour, and there is nothing for you to administer after that.
Can admins see private mentoring conversations?
No. Admins see engagement only: who is active, how often pairs meet, and how actions are progressing. The content of every conversation stays between the two people in it.
What does a mentoring workspace include?
Goals, session agendas, shared notes, agreed actions, and the running record of progress. Everything in it is private to the pair.
How many seats can I start with?
Team plans come in 5, 10 or 25 seats. Start small and add seats as your team grows.
What does it cost to try?
Team plans start with a 14 day free trial, no credit card required. Pricing is on the pricing page, and you can cancel any time.
How does booking a Leverage mentor work?
Your people browse expert mentors, pick a time that suits, and book directly at the mentor's rate. The session runs inside their private workspace. If a first session with a Leverage mentor isn't useful, we'll refund it — see our terms.
Do we need Zoom or Teams for sessions?
No. Video is built in. The room opens inside the workspace shortly before the session starts, there is nothing to install, and sessions are never recorded.
Can we fund mentoring sessions for our team?
Soon. Org credit packs are coming, so you can give your people credit to book expert mentors as they need them. Register interest on the gift page and we will let you know first.
