by Ken Sethney, Kitsap SCORE Branch Manager
I was a business owner myself for many years. Now, I’m a volunteer business mentor with the Kitsap branch of SCORE.
SCORE is a non-profit organization that’s been around for many years. We have more than 10,000 volunteers nationwide, and we’re committed to helping people start, grow, and successfully exit their businesses.
In Kitsap County, we have 7 volunteers who meet with people from Kingston to Port Orchard, Bainbridge Island to Silverdale.
In the last 4 years, we’ve focused on face-to-face mentoring. Most of the people we’ve met with have been thinking about starting a new business.
Since meeting with us, many of them have. And their businesses range from food trucks to restaurants. Healthcare providers to general contractors. Retail shops online or right here in your town.
In 2018, our start-up mentoring services will continue, but we are starting a new program designed to help people who own businesses that are up-and-running. Continue reading
Starting and managing a small business requires paying attention to multiple areas of responsibility. Accounting, marketing, operations, sales, customer service…and the list goes on. Rarely do entrepreneurs have the knowledge and skills to adeptly strategize ways to successfully execute all of them on their own. To improve areas of their businesses and discover ways to streamline processes, some businesses enlist the help of advisory boards.