SCORE: No Longer Your Old, Retired White Man’s Organization

SCORE:

No Longer Your Old, Retired, White Man’s Organization

by Montrie Rucker Adams, APR

Gone are the days when connecting with someone at the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) meant you were paired with an elderly white man who knew little about what you desired to do, especially if it involved technology. At least that was my experience in the mid-1990s when I was contemplating starting a business and was encouraged to talk to someone at SCORE.

When SCORE was founded in 1964, the national non-profit’s sole purpose was to provide free business counseling to people running small businesses. At that time, they pulled from a pool of retired male executives. To be fair, white men were the business owners in those days and overwhelmingly served in executive positions.

Today, the national organization utilizes the expertise of a variety of individuals with business experience. SCORE Cleveland has 85 volunteers: 30 percent are minorities and 33 percent are women. Of their more than 1,500 clients, 60 percent were women, 46 percent were minorities, and 9 percent were veterans (from 2020 statistics). Nationally, SCORE boasts 250+ chapters. Annually they provide counseling services in all business areas to more than 300,000 entrepreneurs and business owners.

Since its opening one year after the national organization, Cleveland SCORE, the Northeastern Ohio SCORE chapter which serves Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Geauga, Ashtabula, Huron, and

Erie counties, has helped tens of thousands entrepreneurs start or grow their businesses. In addition to mentoring, the organization provides workshops, webinars, seminars, educational services, and advisory boards. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all mentoring sessions and workshops are currently virtual. Counseling sessions are by phone, email, video, or live webinar. Their website has hundreds of blog posts and articles from which to choose. An example of online blog topics include: 8 Best Business Podcasts for Business Owners, 11 Sales Techniques to Help Grow Your Small Business, How Small Businesses Can Generate Traffic Without Spending Money on Ads, The Growth of Digital Assets in Black Business America During the Pandemic, How to Get a Small Business Grant, and What the Latest COVID-19 Relief Bill Means for Your Small Business.

Getting Help Where It’s Needed In July 2021, Cleveland SCORE entered a six-month pilot partnership with the Harvard Community Services Center (HCSC). There was a need to support small businesses based in the Lee-Harvard neighborhoods. “It’s going great,” said Bob Cohen when asked about the partnership. “We are doing a lot of one-onone mentoring. We participated in a resources event in Ward One held by Councilman Joe Jones. SCORE handed out materials and encouraged people to sign up to become SCORE clients and mentors.”

Cohen is one of SCORE Cleveland’s co-chairs and has volunteered with SCORE for six years. For years, he has served as the head of a sales team for Encore Event Technologies, an organization that rented audio-visual equipment and technicians for the hospitality and convention industries.

When asked about how businesses in the Lee-Harvard area secure a mentor through the partnership, replied Cohen, “We have it set up where if a client has an issue or problem, there is a number they call and talk to Richard

Bob Cohen

Goudreau, HCSC’s Community Development Director. He will get information from the business/client and refer them to SCORE. There is an assignment team dedicated to clients based on the request and the client’s need. Anyone can also go to the website and sign up. According to the answers, we try to match a mentor with specific skills the client needs,” adds Cohen.

No Longer Business as Usual SCORE has striven to shake the “old, retired, out-of-touch, white man” stigma that has dogged it for years. Cohen said forty percent of SCORE members are not retired. They are working individuals who volunteer their time to help other business owners. “Our goal for our mentors is to match the look of the community we serve. We are not there yet, but we are working diligently to get there,” he said. “Sixty percent of our clients are African American women. To help guide our clients, it takes a special understanding and know-how to have a relationship and rapport between mentor and mentee. One of the most important things we can do is listen and ask good questions. We need to know what’s on our clients’ minds and find ways to support them,” he adds.

Dena Davis is the subject matter expert (SME) volunteer focused on human resources. “I help

shape out the overall design and direction of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming for the Cleveland chapter,” Davis explains. “I decided to volunteer because I’ve used SCORE’s services in the past and felt that I was ready to give back.” Davis has volunteered for one year as a mentor, trainer, and assists with networking. As owner and chief consultant at Davis-Hill Consulting, a human resources (HR) and change management firm, she serves as a business partner helping organizations of all sizes with a variety of HR needs. She still uses SCORE’s services to advance her business initiatives. “Overall it’s been a great relationship for me, professionally and personally,” offers Davis.

As a program lead for SCORE, Davis helps shape out the design and direction of the programs and the DEI goals. “The first thing is to increase awareness, education and access to resources for the mentors. We want to make sure we’re giving mentors the resources they need to share quickly and easily with clients,” she explains. “We’re very specific about how we incorporate diversity in the organization. More than half of the businesses that come to us for assistance are women- or minority-owned. I make sure we have a good representation of volunteer mentors, but we also want to make sure the mentors are equipped and skilled in how to manage and respond to some of the unique needs some of our clients may have,” she adds.

Mentors are trained in the SLATE method which is also part of their mentoring methodology and credo. SLATE=Stop and Suspend judgement. Listen and Learn. Assess and Analyze. Test Ideas and Teach with Tools. Expectations Setting and Encouraging the Dream.

“We work with the client to help them come to their own conclusions in terms of the viability of their idea. We are not there to tell them what to do. Our role is to help them down the road to discovery on their own. We are there to be a cheerleader and to help them with the business side of it, giving them the tools and the templates,” shares Cohen.

What’s It Like Being a Mentor? “To me, a good mentor is somebody that understands small businesses, who is in a career or has completed a career, brings an open mind, and is willing to learn,” says Cohen. “A really good mentor is one who could manage the aspects of our chapter. Chapter involvement is important. That said, we have people who can only give up two hours a month. They are good at what they do and are very valuable to the organization. Others may have 20 to 30 hours to spend with us.

Dena Davis

“We are looking for a variety of skills. People will come to us who are in careers in marketing, sales, finance, legal, intellectual property. We have people who come from strong financial backgrounds. Others come from the manufacturing industry and understand product development. They can help our clients who are inventing new products and want to bring them to market,” adds Cohen.

The organization is also looking for mentors

Sharon Rose

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Following are a few organizations that partner with SCORE Cleveland:

Candid. Central Kitchen Cleveland Foundation Cleveland Neighborhood Progress COSE ECDI gBeta Great Lakes Innovation & Development Enterprise Greater Cleveland Partnership HFLA of Northeast Ohio JumpStart Legal Aid Society State of Ohio Latino Affairs Commission State of Ohio Small Business Development Centers 10,000 Small Businesses The Presidents’ Council Urban League of Greater Cleveland

with diverse business backgrounds: engineers, chemists, operations, and information technology (IT). “That’s what’s good about SCORE. If I need a specific mentor, I can reach out to one of 12,000 throughout the country. I can find a specialty online throughout the web system,” says Cohen. “If I don’t have them in my chapter, I can reach out to other chapters. Virtually, I can bring a co-mentor to a session.” When a mentor is assigned a client, they “own” that client. If it is realized that there is a skill that the mentor doesn’t have, they can call on the other 80 volunteers in SCORE Cleveland or reach out to 12,000 others throughout the US.

“That’s one of the good things about SCORE. We are a big organization,” Cohen said.

Who Comes to SCORE? Anyone who has started a business, is thinking about a business, is in the middle of running a business, or is considering transitioning out of a business, it doesn’t matter where one is along the business journey. SCORE is available to offer assistance, free of charge. No matter the question or the challenge, there is someone within the organization that can help.

“We believe that anyone can start a small business with the right support. We also know that the road is harder for some than for others. SCORE for All is the bridge that makes the journey to success more direct and sure-footed for entrepreneurs who need more support,” reads SCORE’s website. “The path to small business success is different for every entrepreneur. For some, access to small business funding and key resources is challenging. For others, increasing business knowledge is the key to success. Whatever the needs, SCORE offers free mentoring, education and resources to make the path to success easier and more direct.”

Along with Cohen, Sharon Rose co-chairs Cleveland SCORE. She’s served as a mentor for a year and a half. As an IT professional, she owned a small consulting company and managed IT in both small and mid-sized businesses.

When Rose retired from Lubrizol, she decided that she wanted to share her experience. “I was looking for a way to give back. I always enjoyed mentoring and working with people,” she shared.

Rose was amazed at what she found at Cleveland SCORE. “Not only does it do an amazing amount of good for people, but my colleagues are also experts and willing to share. They never say no. I enjoy working with clients and interacting and working with my colleagues helping to run the organization,” she said.

An interesting client project involved a 26-yearold female who came out of the foster care system. She was intent on starting a non-profit to help youth transition out of the system. “She knows what they need and will help them find places to live, further their education… anything that will help them to be successful on their own,” Rose shared.

Rose describes a woman who owns a soup kitchen and wants to expand it to people who have financial difficulties, need groceries, education, and housing assistance. She mentions the emphasis on encouraging collaboration between organizations who are providing similar services. “You can extend what you are doing through collaboration,” Rose adds.

SCORE mentors can help clients clarify and articulate their ideas, and when necessary, help them view their thinking from different perspectives. Assisting them in researching the feasibility of their thoughts will lead them to a decision as to whether they should move forward with their business.

“There are people who’ve lost their jobs and feel that if they can start a business, their lives will be much better. Then they find out that it doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. We’re there to encourage and educate, and get them to a place where they feel it’s the right time for them,” Rose says.

Volunteers Needed! SCORE wants as many people as possible to know about the organization – not just clients – volunteers. As they focus on the work with Lee-Harvard clients and others, they need mentors. Getting the word out is important.

There is onboarding and training for new mentors. It involves: 1) Going to the website and completing the form which goes to the recruiting/onboarding team. 2) An interview with two people. After the interview, if it is determined that you have the people skills and time to commit, you will be recommended for acceptance as a provisional volunteer. You are then assigned a coach who works with you to complete the required online courses within a 30- to 60-day timeframe. Once completed, you will then work with your coach to co-mentor clients and contribute as opportunities arise. After enough cases, you and your coach will determine when you are ready to handle a case on your own.

In addition to mentors, the organization needs SMEs and workshop presenters. These are often people who are working full time and can’t mentor, but they can conduct a workshop. With seven district chapters and four in the region, there is always work to do. “We have several teams that keep our organization running: Marketing, DEI, and client services. Our community outreach team oversees partnerships. They approach large corporations for donations and entering in an ongoing partnership. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization,” says Rose.

Thankfully, SCORE is shedding its “old white man” image and moving toward progressive change to help small businesses succeed.

For more information about SCORE, visit https://www.score.org. The site has a wealth of free information that can be immediately accessed and used.

2021 Calendar of Events

Cleveland, Ohio (Virtual Event) 18th Annual Personal and Professional Development Retreat “Connections, Community and Career 2021” Thursday, May 20, 2021 9:00 am - 12:00 pm HOSTED BY: Women of Color Foundation

Cleveland, Ohio (Virtual Event) 10th Annual “Speaking of Women: A Dialogue Series for Women in Leadership” Thursday, August 5, 2021 11:30 am - 1:30 pm HOSTED BY: Dominion Energy Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio (“LIVE” and Virtual Event) 5th Anniversary C-Suite Executive Women’s Summit Sunday-Tuesday, October 24-26, 2021 Walden Inn & Spa 1119 Aurora-Hudson Road, Aurora, Ohio 44202 HOSTED BY: Women of Color Foundation

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216.391.4300, ext. 307 or 866-962.3411 (toll free)

Women of Color Foundation

4200 Warrensville Center Road Medical Office Building A, Suite 353 Cleveland, Ohio 44122