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Teamwork Strengthens Local Economy
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20 February 2010
Teamwork Strengthens Local Economy
Despite the serious economic downturn, there are still opportunities for small businesses to start up and for existing businesses to grow in
Brevard SCORE works closely with other local economic partners including the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Brevard, Blue Ridge Community College, the Senior Resource Network, and the County’s Planning and Economic Development Department; and, with regional organizations such as Mountain BizWorks and Self-Help to sponsor workshops for small businesses and to provide current information to local business owners. The impact of the downturn in the current local economy can be seen by comparing Brevard’s SCORE’s statistics in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, 120 clients were counseled and in 2009 there were 72 clients. In 2008, 61 clients were developing new businesses and in 2009 there were 29 clients.
All SCORE counselors are volunteers and they must be qualified by the national SCORE organization which operates under the aegis of the Small Business Administration (SBA). All counseling by SCORE counselors is done free of charge. The 11 SCORE counselors in Brevard practice an effective team-counseling concept whereby 3 to 5 SCORE counselors meet with each client. The Brevard counselors have extensive experience in marketing, financing, human resources, business operations, accounting, and legal matters. Thus each SCORE client has the benefit of a collective input to plan his or her new or existing business activity. SCORE counselors are required to practice a strict code of ethics and all information remains strictly confidential. It is not shared with anyone without the client’s prior approval. Many clients have multiple sessions either monthly or quarterly and some clients receive counseling for several years.
The types of businesses counseled by Brevard SCORE counselors include retail stores, restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, recreational facilities, building contractors, landscape designers, electricians, architects, personal chefs, web site design, fabrics, clothing alterations, home security systems, aerobics instructors, authors, beauticians, alternative medicine therapists, bookkeepers, medical home support, farming, assisted living facilities, child care, patenting of inventions, as well as a variety of manufacturing businesses. A significant trend in the past five years has been the growing number of new and existing businesses owned by women in
The national SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) organization has more than twelve thousand volunteer counselors. The Western North Carolina Chapter of SCORE, (www.scorewnc.org) has branches in Brevard,
