When small business owners are facing the tidal wave of questions that come with maintaining and growing a fledgling company, one area organization steps in to help. SCORE Westchester, part of a nearly 300-chapter national nonprofit association, provides advisory and mentoring services to people striving for small-businesses success.
“Through workshops and personalized mentoring, we provide the support, instruction and education all aspiring, new and current business owners need to grow their businesses,” said Richard Feldman, Chairman of SCORE Westchester. “In 2017, we helped educate more than 1,700 clients in 90-plus workshops throughout our county and we mentored over 1,800 clients in personalized, confidential mentoring sessions.” The organization has seven “off-site” mentoring locations in the county, with an eighth location planned for the near future.
Originally made up entirely of retired executives, SCORE Westchester has evolved into an organization of diversified individuals with varied expertise in areas such as finance, marketing, social media, legal, and IT. SCORE also recruits volunteers to perform specific duties aside from mentoring, including workshop planning, administrative tasks, and marketing support. Feldman says a diverse employee and volunteer base is essential to an organization’s survival in today’s world.
“Although we have new clients on an almost daily basis, the type of client does not change,” says Feldman. “Our clients are, and always have been, ambitious, vibrant individuals, looking to improve their status and grow.”