SCORE Some Amazing Free Advice
If you’re starting a small business, like me, you’re desperately short of three things: 1) leads, 2) money, and 3) knowledge. And it all really comes down to knowledge. If I knew how to find leads cost-effectively that would solve my biggest problem. If I had the leads, I’d have the money because organizing is cash flow positive very quickly. If I had the money, I could buy the knowledge to get the leads.
My business is basically an ouroboros looking for a way to turn a vicious circle into a virtuous circle. There are people who could build my website to hold the keywords that I’d surround with content to attract the prospects. But website designers, SEO experts, and writers all expect to be paid with money.
On top of that I need accountants, lawyers, insurance agents, and consultants. Someone has to flesh out the strategy, define next steps, and codify my brand. I would do it myself, but I’m in the client’s basement taping up boxes of donations for Goodwill.
I Need Mentors
What I really need is someone who has already done all of this and can just guide me. I want to run through the maze without run downing every blind alley. In a perfect world I’d be able to sit down with an experienced mentor every so often and hash out these thorny business quandaries with someone who’s already been there, done that.
What if you could get someone with decades of experience in marketing or insurance or general business knowledge? They’d help you build your business plan and think through all of these problems. These gurus would be available whenever you needed some advice or wanted some encouragement.
I want to let all my budding organizer friends in on something that is not at all a secret, but surprisingly little known in some circles. See, it’s that knowledge thing again.
SCORE Free Advice
SCORE.org has all this and it’s totally free. Go to the SCORE.org website and look for a mentor in your area. It only takes a couple of minutes to describe your most urgent questions and request the type of business mentor that might help you the most. SCORE will match you with volunteers in your area and you’re off to the races.
This advice is literally priceless because SCORE is free advice.
I’ve been doing video calls with Rob Giurlando, an insurance executive and Maryanne Guenther, a marketing executive since I started my business as a professional organizer. I want to thank them for their invaluable assistance. Now, I’m starting to think, maybe I don’t want to run a small business, maybe I’d like to run a company. Rob, Maryanne, can we talk?
