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12/07/2016 08:00 AMThe end of the year brings out holiday fun and specials, but it can also be a period of planning and reflection for small business owners beginning to look toward the year to come. For those who have questions about starting or growing their business, the day-to-day job of operating a business, or need specific problem solving help, the Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) provides resources to help small business owners understand and achieve their goals.
Ward Feirer is a SCORE member with experience in sales and marketing. Originally from New York City, he retired to Centerbrook Village and has been a mentor with the Southeastern Connecticut chapter of SCORE for five years.
“We offer free, confidential mentoring and counseling to small businesses, and have mentors with a range of experience and areas of expertise,” said Feirer.
“The biggest benefit of this organization is that it gives businesses the advantages of years of experience without needing to take the years to learn the lessons for themselves,” continued Feirer. “In many cases many people try to start a business without knowing what is involved—someone might know about baking cupcakes, and want to start selling them, but there are a lot of steps between the thing they are good at or like and turning it into viable business.
“We also help a lot of people who are already set up who want to expand, or learn about social media and digital media, or get a better understanding about accounting,” said Feirer. “We try to address anything a business needs to start, expand, and grow.”
SCORE was invited to utilize the Essex Library as a meeting space during the peak of the recession in early 2009 by library director Richard Conroy.
“I was looking for new ways to provide services to patrons who might be facing challenges to due to the business climate at that time,” said Conroy. “My wife and I had briefly owned a bed and breakfast in Freeport, Maine, back in 2004-2005 and I had made use of one of the SCORE chapters up there to help me develop a business plan, find a good bank, etc., so I was familiar with how helpful its volunteers are for would-be entrepreneurs, or even established small-business owners who could use some advice.
“Essex has dozens of small businesses, many of which tend to come and go because the failure rate of such ventures is so high,” continued Conroy. “It seemed like a natural fit for our community to have a resource like SCORE available that could provide a critical boost for startups.”
Southeastern CT SCORE operates in Essex, Guilford, Madison, Middletown, Mystic, New London, Norwich, Old Saybrook, and Waterford, and also offers a number of workshops on a variety of topics of interest to businesses throughout the year. The organization is always looking for volunteers as well. Locally, counseling takes place at the Essex Library on the second and fourth Thursday of each month between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Those interested in receiving some counseling should schedule an appointment in advance by calling 860-388-9508 or visiting www.sect.score.org and using the online form.