says Bader. “The SBDC refers people to SCORE first and then we turn them back over when they are ready to seek that loan. It’s a promising new development in the way we attract clients and get referrals of clients. It makes the two programs mesh together nicely and ultimately makes us both more effective.” SCORE also uses local subject matter experts (SMEs) for specific needs when called for. This includes an attorney who specializes in nonprofit law and small- business law who meets with SCORE clients for a free 45-minute introductory session. Another SME is a search engine optimization expert who can help clients develop and create websites. SCORE mentoring and the work of the SMEs is all free and totally confidential, explains Bader. “I may give some clients the same advice and resources, but I don’t discuss one client with another. That’s a fundamental part of our ethics of confidentiality.” Co-mentoring and camaraderie One mentor still works part-time in the local wine industry but has assisted approximately 50 SCORE clients in less than four years. “If you need to sell something, I’m your gal,” says Nancy Woods, who has worked in wine sales and marketing for decades, including managing tasting rooms and running wine clubs. Her retail experience goes back to when she was young and her father owned three sports shops. “That’s how I got started in retail work, it’s been my life. My husband once said to me, ‘You can’t take all this business knowledge with you, so why not help small-business people?’ As a SCORE mentor, I’m an extra person for clients to bounce ideas off of.” Woods helps her clients in securing loans and writing business plans, among other duties. “And my favorite is coming up with a three-year cash flow plan for them. They need to know the numbers, and they have to think of everything, including what their monthly utility bills will be and the cost of insurance.” Shapiro points out the great camaraderie that exists between SCORE mentors, with many of them co- mentoring clients because their business expertise covers multiple fields. “In addition to the creative problem-solving aspect, one thing I wasn’t expecting was how much I would enjoy working with other mentors to help one client,”
What is SCORE? Created 60 years ago as part of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE has assisted more than 17 million entrepreneurs in starting, growing or successfully exiting a business, according to its website. SCORE volunteers provide free expert mentoring services, along with numerous free or low-cost resources and educational workshops, both locally and nationally. The program currently has some 10,000 volunteers in all 50 states and territories who donated 4.5 million hours of their time in 2023. Last year they helped launch 31,167 new businesses and create 152,115 new jobs, including 120,948 non- owner jobs. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, SCORE is a resource partner of the SBA. In 2023 the organization was appropriated $17 million from the U.S. Congress. It also earned more than $7 million in additional revenue from fundraising efforts. For more information, visit score.org .— JSD
SCORE mentors are forbidden from giving legal advice to clients, and there are no grants or funding for clients who are short of money. “Our code of ethics prohibits us from being on the board of directors of client companies, investing in their companies or being paid by our clients. We don’t even allow them to buy us a cup of coffee,” says Bader. “We work with them to develop a business plan and create a financial plan for their start-up year, and also a cash flow plan. This way they see how much money they need and will have to borrow.” Scoring a bank loan Locally, SCORE recently developed a partnership with the Sonoma Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in downtown Santa Rosa, which is another SBA program. “They have paid employees who do counseling and mentoring with our clients who are ready to get a bank loan, and then connect them with bankers who may be interested in making them a loan,” Karen Shapiro has mentored 38 clients in just two years.
David Bailey turned to SCORE for his food-waste recycling business.
February 2025
NorthBaybiz 39
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