Column: Taking score of SCORE at 50

BY GLENN SHELL

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Small Business Administration launched SCORE, which began providing free, confidential professional assistance to owners and managers of existing small businesses and entrepreneurial startups. Today, a nationwide network of 13,000 working and retired business professionals from 354 chapters provides assistance to approximately a half-million people each year. The organization has now mentored and trained more than 10 million entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The strength of the organization and the value of its services can”™t be matched. SCORE volunteers provide free mentoring to small-business entrepreneurs on a wide range of business topics ”“ everything from how to write a business plan and how to arrange funding and manage cash flow to how to develop effective marketing and Web-based retailing. Business owners can take advantage of SCORE”™s free, ongoing face-to-face or email mentoring and counseling sessions, low-cost in-person workshops and online expert resources, including free online workshops, business tools and templates.

Regionally, the SCORE NY Metro Area comprises 10 chapters ”“ Long Island, Staten Island and New York City as well as those in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.

Last year alone, SCORE volunteers helped start 3,492 businesses in New York state. Within the state, 2,925 businesses reported growth during these difficult economic times, and 1,355 jobs were created, all due to the support of the SCORE mentors in their area.

Our Westchester County chapter of SCORE ”“ with its network of 40 volunteers ”“ helped start 520 businesses and saw 325 clients grow their business in 2013. This resulted in 70 new jobs in our area. We also held 66 workshops with 1355 attendees, a 12 percent increase from 2012 to 2013. Based on our success, the chapter was recently named the SCORE New York Metro Area Chapter of the Year.

The impact that SCORE has had on Westchester County has been tremendous. To know that we have impacted the growth of small businesses in our county during the past year speaks not only to the volume of what our volunteers do for the community but also to the quality of the mentoring that they do. In 2013, we provided 2,841 individual services overall. We are in the business of building solid businesses and jobs and helping people achieve their dreams.

SCORE touches people”™s lives in different ways to create success stories.

One entrepreneur ”“ the sole proprietor of a recording studio ”“ had strong professional skills but relatively no business background. His business had plateaued at an income level short of his goals. And then, the economy made his business slide further.

He was thinking of closing the studio, but a family member suggested contacting SCORE. Volunteers helped him develop promotional materials, identify potential clients and create marketing and sales strategies. He was encouraged to identify strategies that were working for him and refine them to make them even better. He also learned that sales and marketing were essential parts of his business and those aspects needed to be consistent, creative and effective in order for him to be successful.

A year after he first consulted with SCORE, his gross receipts were on track to exceed the previous year”™s receipts by more than 50 percent.

Another entrepreneur said SCORE provided her company with outstanding coaching and honest feedback on her business plan, marketing and sales materials, pricing, legal, finance and Web development. She reported “an acceptable level of profitability” in just her first year of operation.

Many people often ask me, “Are SCORE”™s services really free?” SCORE”™s one-on-one business mentoring and online resources ”“ online workshops and information on an array of business topics ”“ are free. SCORE also provides workshops for a small fee, which typically covers the costs of materials.

As a 50-year-old organization, SCORE has the stability that its strong track record provides. SCORE”™s retired and currently employed executives bring their experience and creativity to any problem a new or existing client may have. Give us a call at (914) 948-3907 or visit us online at westchester.score.org. We”™re always willing to help create and grow businesses in Westchester County.

Glenn Shell is the SCORE chapter chairman in Westchester County. He is a former banker and a financial consultant. He can be reached at scoreinfo@scorewestchester.com or 914-948-3907.