Career Guide 5 min read

Business Advisor

Do you enjoy coaching and mentoring people and love seeing businesses thrive?
Ben Maples

Published Sep 11th 2020

Business Advisor

Well, if you answered correctly, then you’ve stumbled onto our comprehensive carer guide for business advisors. If you have an interest in companies, how they work, and their potential to grow - keep on reading!

Business Advisor Career Guide

What is a business advisor?

Now, what is business management? Business and management go together like a perfect Hollywood love story. It’s an ideal job for anyone who would like to see companies grow and diversify. The business management career is perfect for someone who has experience within starting up a business and can offer guidance and advice to other independents or talented individuals with great potential. Organisations would seek the expertise of a small business advisor if they wanted to scale-up, expand or leap into a new market.

This role involves supporting start-ups as they move from an idea to reality, offering funding and finance advice, and guidance on agreements and technology innovation. Most advisors specialise in helping small and medium businesses thrive and can mentor them through their significant changes and processes.

They will aid them through improvement, training, funding options and how to grow their target audience or client base. Business advisors will also advise them through government policy, international trade, networking and staff management.

Those in this position advising businesses can expect to earn between £18,000 and £25,000 in their first roles.

What are the typical responsibilities for business management careers?

A career in business is suited to someone who has a strong work ethic, problem-solving skills and excellent pastoral care. This role is also the perfect solution to those searching for jobs with a business management degree. Now, what is the part exactly? Well, a business advisor will analyse and diagnose a needs assessment, use their knowledge and expertise and experience to determine how a business can develop.

They will use their professional network of colleagues to support clients, build and maintain positive relationships with partners, customers and associates. They’ll need excellent coaching, communication and mentoring skills. The day-to-day runnings will mimic meetings, keeping up to date with business news, researching companies and communicating with clients. Also, advising companies just starting up on management and trading is part of the position. The position can involve offering guidance on training, workshops and growth.

Business Advisor Career

What qualifications do you need to be a business advisor?

Are you wondering, ‘why study business management?’ or ‘what can I do with a business management degree?’. Well, this career guide is telling you this role is perfect for graduates of a business management degree! But if you haven’t yet begun studying at university, you can either undertake a course of this nature or in a related subject to enter this career.

Most jobs in business management have either studied finance, recruitment, HR, business management, accountancy, banking, marketing, or general business. Furthermore, they also tend to have their own experience of setting up a business or advising others throughout the process.

How to become a special advisor after university? You should gain experience working within the field, either managing a company, a team or be able to show you led the business to expand. But, if you don’t have your own company, you can instead work within the government or in economic development roles to gain insight.

Careers with a business management degree may work alongside individuals who haven’t got a professional qualification and instead have extensive experience. Sometimes actions and knowledge speak louder than words. Your skills and talent are ranked higher than a degree.

Now, what is business management? Business and management go together like a perfect Hollywood love story.

What skills are essential for the business advisor career?

There are particular skills that jobs with a business management degree are seeking. From marketing, sales, leadership and management experience to communication, problem-solving and organisation skills. They are all critical. A commercial advisor will need to show they can produce reports, evaluate plans, adapt to each business and have exceptional analytical skills.

To define enterprise skills, we can see that having close attention to detail, the ability to listen to their clients’ needs and be able to put plans into action are essential. Also, the enterprise skills definition extends to numeracy, English and interpersonal communication. A business advisor will be able to work alone, within a team, across multiple projects and under pressure. They will need to build relationships, maintain their network of contacts, and meet deadlines. Using IT, social media and understanding the ever-changing business landscape is also vital.

Business Advisor

What is the average business advisor salary?

Those in this position advising businesses can expect to earn between £18,000 and £25,000 in their first roles. After gaining experience, or when entering a specialist role, they can earn up to £40,000. A senior business consultant, management consultant or economic development advisor, can take home significant higher wages.

What kind of jobs can you get with a business management degree?

You can work in government, charities, local businesses and social enterprise. After several years of experience, you can either open a firm and work freelance. When you are employed, you will need to travel, be smartly dressed and be flexible with your job - as you may have to work at home or attend urgent meetings.

Organisations would seek the expertise of a small business advisor if they wanted to scale-up, expand or leap into a new market.

What are business management prospects?

Now, you’ve got a job, what next? Many advisors gain valuable experience, a professional reputation and a strong network of clients. After this, promotion can be in the form of managing a large team, working with bigger or higher profile clients, or you can transfer to another organisation. Many business advisors choose to become self-employment and only give guidance on a consultancy level. Others may move to management consultants, development officers or business analyst roles.

Author & Contributors

SUBJECT RANKINGS

Discover top universities

Our university rankings focus on the areas we know matter to you - check them out!

undergraduate Uni's

Photo of Ravensbourne University London

Ravensbourne

92% Recommended

Photo of University of Westminster

Uni of Westminster

93% Recommended

Photo of Edge Hill University

Edge Hill Uni

99% Recommended

Photo of London Metropolitan University

London Met Uni

91% Recommended

Photo of Kingston University

Kingston Uni

94% Recommended

Photo of University of Sunderland

Uni of Sunderland

95% Recommended

Photo of Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin Uni

94% Recommended

Photo of University of East London

Uni of East London

92% Recommended

Photo of Bournemouth University

Bournemouth Uni

95% Recommended

Photo of University of Brighton

Uni of Brighton

95% Recommended

Photo of De Montfort University (DMU)

De Montfort

95% Recommended

Photo of Queen's University, Belfast

Queen's Uni

96% Recommended

Photo of University of Hull

Uni of Hull

95% Recommended

Photo of Northeastern University London

Northeastern Uni

95% Recommended

Photo of University of Surrey

Uni of Surrey

97% Recommended

Photo of University of Roehampton

Uni of Roehampton

95% Recommended

Photo of Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt Uni

97% Recommended

Photo of Cardiff Metropolitan University

Cardiff Met Uni

97% Recommended

Photo of Middlesex University

Middlesex Uni

93% Recommended

Photo of University of Chester

Uni of Chester

96% Recommended

Photo of University of Leicester

Uni of Leicester

92% Recommended

Photo of Coventry University

Coventry Uni

91% Recommended

Photo of University of Suffolk

Uni of Suffolk

95% Recommended

Photo of University of Chichester

Uni of Chichester

99% Recommended

Photo of Nottingham Trent University (NTU)

NTU

98% Recommended

Photo of Leeds Beckett University

Leeds Beckett Uni

98% Recommended

Photo of The University of Law

Uni of Law

91% Recommended

Photo of University of Winchester

Uni of Winchester

97% Recommended

Photo of University of Portsmouth

Uni of Portsmouth

98% Recommended

Photo of Bath Spa University

Bath Spa Uni

96% Recommended

Photo of University of Southampton

Uni of Southampton

97% Recommended

Photo of Bangor University

Bangor Uni

97% Recommended

Photo of University of Derby

Uni of Derby

97% Recommended

Photo of University of York

Uni of York

97% Recommended

Photo of West London Institute of Technology

WLIoT

100% Recommended

Photo of University of Greenwich

Uni of Greenwich

95% Recommended

Photo of The University of West London

Uni of West London

85% Recommended

Photo of University of Reading

Uni of Reading

97% Recommended

Photo of Open University

Open Uni

98% Recommended

Photo of UWE Bristol (University of the West of England)

UWE Bristol

97% Recommended

Photo of dBs Institute of Sound and Digital Technologies

dBs Institute

100% Recommended

Photo of SOAS University of London

SOAS

93% Recommended

Photo of Wrexham University

Wrexham Uni

90% Recommended

Photo of University of Kent

Uni of Kent

95% Recommended

Photo of Escape Studios

Escape Studios

100% Recommended

Photo of UCFB

UCFB

92% Recommended

Photo of Northumbria University

Northumbria Uni

97% Recommended

Photo of Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Met Uni

97% Recommended

Photo of Loughborough University

Loughborough Uni

98% Recommended

Photo of Sheffield College (The)

Sheffield College

100% Recommended

Photo of Swansea University

Swansea Uni

98% Recommended

Photo of University of Bradford

Uni of Bradford

94% Recommended

Photo of University of Liverpool

Uni of Liverpool

98% Recommended

Get your questions answered by sending them an enquiry now.