SCORE's volunteer mentors enjoy giving back and helping small businesses grow. Photo courtesy of SCORE

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When the pandemic hit, Miesha Rice, the owner of a therapy practice in Pikesville, Maryland, had to go virtual or go out of business.

Rice needed help, so she turned to SCORE, a nationwide nonprofit with a mission to help small businesses. Rice now says that was “one of the absolute best decisions I have made, business-wise.”

SCORE matched Rice with a mentor, retired CEO Norman Bickman, who helped her company survive a tough transition — all without charge.

“We went over how to optimize my marketing, my brand, finances — basically anything and everything I needed to know,” Rice said.

Four years later, Rice’s company is going strong, and she is still in touch with Bickman.

“I love my mentor; he’s been amazing. He was always there to troubleshoot, just to listen to me and just be encouraging, because it’s not easy to be in business. There’s not a lot of resources, especially capital, for small businesses to operate.”

Ten thousand mentors

More than 10,000 Americans with business experience volunteer as SCORE mentors in 250 chapters across the country. Maryland has 99 active volunteers.

In 1964, Congress established the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) as the volunteer-led branch of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SCORE’s mission, then and now, is to mentor small business owners and entrepreneurs. The SBA still funds most of SCORE’s budget.

“SCORE’s volunteers tirelessly share their time and expertise as mentors to our nation’s entrepreneurs, fostering vibrant small business communities and bringing the American dream to life,” SCORE CEO Bridget Weston said in a statement.

“Their dedication is measured not only by each small business they support, but in the economic impact of those businesses locally and nationally.”

In Maryland alone, SCORE mentors helped create 736 new businesses that created 16,872 new jobs last year.

How small businesses get help

Here’s how it works: Entrepreneurs go to SCORE’s website and fill out a form. They can let the website choose a mentor in their field or choose one themselves.

Then the mentor decides whether to accept the client or not. Mentors can choose their own hours but are usually expected to commit to 20 volunteer hours a month, not all necessarily for the same client. All interactions with mentors are free and confidential.

The organization also offers entrepreneurs a wide range of free training sessions on how to write a business plan, secure funding, navigate the government-sponsored grant system, advertise, etc.

The national office offers several webinars a month. For instance, two free sessions coming up will cover how to start selling in Amazon’s online store and how to self-publish a book on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program (sponsored by Amazon).

In addition, Maryland’s SCORE chapters present two to three webinars a week, and have helped 6,657 people so far this year.

Looking for mentors, too

Just like anyone can receive help from SCORE, anyone from any industry can volunteer to become a mentor.

“We’re looking for that generalist, someone who knows business in general,” said Marge Everett, co-chair of the Greater Baltimore chapter of SCORE.

Everett started volunteering with SCORE eight years ago, when she retired from banking. She has mentored hundreds of people and enjoys passing on what she knows about writing business plans and launching a company.

“SCORE is the perfect volunteer experience for retired businesspeople,” she said. “It’s a perfect use for the knowledge and experience you have if you want to give back, it you want to be involved, if you want to stay engaged.”

A way to stay in the game

When Ed Coleman retired after 40 years in direct marketing, he “was looking for an opportunity to give back,” he said, so he became a SCORE mentor.

After all, he said, “We’ve all had mentors throughout our careers and lifetimes who have helped us grow. So this is the opportunity to give back.”

Coleman is proud that in the past nine years, he has helped hundreds of small business owners.

“We’re contributing to the economic development and growth in the communities in which we live,” he said.

Coleman is now the vice president for the Mid-Atlantic Region of SCORE, which includes 30 chapters. But he’s still a mentor and remains in touch with the clients he had when he first started volunteering in 2015.

“It’s an interesting opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, age, ethnicity, gender,” he said. “It’s a broad cross-section of people.”

Just like teachers learn as they teach, SCORE helps mentors stay current in the business world. As a volunteer, they have access to free educational opportunities about everything from social media strategies to AI (artificial intelligence).

“One of SCORE’s values is lifelong learning, and that applies to our volunteers as well as to our clients,” Coleman said.

Don’t have to be retired

Despite the nonprofit’s original name, which referenced “retired executives,” you don’t have to be retired to join SCORE. About half of SCORE volunteers are still working, like Michael Gallagher of Severna Park, Maryland.

Gallagher, a sales representative, heard about SCORE from a client and signed up for free mentoring. His mentor was so helpful that, two years later, Gallagher decided to become a mentor himself.

“He was very warm and helpful and easy to get ahold of. It was like finding a long-lost friend,” Gallagher said.

Now Gallagher advises SCORE clients from all over the country, from Florida to Texas to Oregon. He talks on the phone, on Zoom or in person.

“I try to meet face to face, but if you’re in Oregon that’s a tough ask,” Gallagher said. “A lot of [entrepreneurs] are working by themselves and just need someone to bounce ideas off of.”

The benefits can go both ways. Not only do business owners get free advice, mentors feel useful when they pass it on.

“Things I take for granted, things I’ve known a long time, are not known by everybody,” Gallagher said.

“I like the feeling I get from helping someone. I like being there and being available.”

For more information about finding a mentor or becoming one, visit Score.org/greaterbaltimore or call 1-800-634-0245.