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This article originally appeared in

Every Business Owner Can SCORE

If you own a small business, the thought of dealing with any government agency probably raises your blood pressure. The prospect of having contact with OSHA, the Department of Licensing & Inspection, Workers Comp Board and the like raises the specter of another adversarial engagement with a bureaucratic machine.

Have I got a surprise for you! It's called SCORE - the counseling arm of the U.S. Small Business Administration. There's no bureaucracy here. SCORE is a business consulting group staffed by active and retired business people - the Service Corps of Retired Executives. Oh yes, there's that government penchant for acronyms, but that's probably the only government-like attribute of SCORE.

The Vancouver office of SCORE is lean and mean. There is no paid staff - no fawning assistants, data entry clerks, fat-cat do-nothing administrators, not even someone to fetch coffee. The office is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers whose sole mission is to help people with their businesses. Because these volunteers aren't government drones, they don't think like bureaucrats. They think like the entrepreneurs or business executives that they are. Or once were.

How do I know so much about SCORE? Well, I've been on both sides of the fence with them. In 1977, I attended my first small business workshop sponsored by SCORE. And over a thirteen year period, I had numerous one-on-one consulting sessions with various counselors. I was given valuable advice which helped to lift my company from a struggling, three-person start-up to a highly profitable enterprise which employed 73. I've been advised on business relocation, internal costing systems and more. A SCORE volunteer helped me set up a profitable pricing structure and quotation system. As the business grew rapidly, counselors offered advice on problems resulting from such growth.

I've mentioned earlier that I've been on both sides of the fence. One of my most valued SCORE counselors was a wonderful man, Bernard Guthrie. When Bernard unexpectedly passed away, I contacted SCORE and volunteered to take his place. (By that time, my business was doing well enough that I had the time and the knowledge to be a SCORE associate.) I've been counseling and consulting with SCORE clients since 1985, initially in Oregon - later in Vancouver, Washington. I've met lots of great clients and I've given advice to all kinds of firms from not-quite-yet start-ups to companies with over 300 employees. I've met with retailers, wholesalers, restauranteurs, manufacturers of everything from exercise togs to heavy machinery. In the service area, I have dealt with every enterprise from technical writing collaboratives to web designers to janitorial services. I've enjoyed all of it.

SCORE can help you find business success. We offer objectivity because we're not involved in the day-to-day operation of your business. We spot things you may not notice because you're too close to your business. We can offer knowledgeable suggestions and solutions to business dilemmas. We know about the trials and tribulations of running a business, too - replacing key employees who leave without notice, dealing with demanding customers, etc. We've been there ourselves. SCORE can help you plan ahead so that you'll be in control of your business instead of bouncing from crisis to crisis.

I have been paid as much as $300 per hour as a management consultant and I'm sure that my fellow SCORE counselors have earned similar rates for sharing their expertise. But, at SCORE, you get our services for FREE! Does that sound intriguing? If so, contact our Vancouver office to set up an appointment.

SCORE is here to help you make your business endeavor a rousing success.

The author, Joseph Sherlock, has been a volunteer SCORE counselor since 1985. This article originally appeared in The Columbian newspaper.