Guest Column

SCORE in Central Oregon and the Rogue Valley is part of a nationwide volunteer organization under the Small Business Administration consisting of over 230 chapters that provide mentoring and education to both new entrepreneurs and existing businesses in need of guidance for business planning, finance, marketing and many other areas.

With well over 60 businesses each month requesting mentoring support from our chapter, the demand for this type of help continues to grow. Across all of Oregon, SCORE in 2023 supported the start of 462 businesses and the creation of 2,089 jobs — a very significant impact on the economy.

Our chapter has added 22 new mentors in the last year. That said, more help is needed to accommodate the increased demand. If you have owned a business or held a high-level management position in your career, chances are your knowledge and skills would be invaluable in mentoring to those starting and growing their enterprises.

If you like to help and would like to aid the success of others in business, volunteering as a mentor with SCORE may be a great opportunity for you. Many requests for help that are received every month.

Some on our mentors are retired, some semi-retired, and some are still active in business. The time commitment is very manageable, perhaps 4-5 hours per week, totally on your preferred schedule. Many mentors “pause” their work while on vacations, so there is full flexibility in that regard.

Here are some recent comments from clients who have received mentoring support from our local chapter team:

• “My mentor is professional, has so much to offer, and quickly responded. He is just what I need to get my business going.”

• “My mentor did listen and understand my needs from an entrepreneurial perspective — very helpful in being able to convey that he was listening and offering feedback that was understandable to me and corresponded with the nature of my concerns.”

• “A great job trying to understand what my needs were and pointing me in the right direction.”

A very straightforward training program is part of the process in becoming a SCORE mentor. The combination of this training along with the foundation background of experience in business equips someone new to mentoring to be able to succeed.

In addition to this beginning training, there is a lot of peer interaction between mentors that allows for sharing of experiences and collaborating to provide the best service possible.

Plus, there are great opportunities to get to know like-minded people in the community.

From the mentor perspective, here is some feedback from their experiences:

• “It is a pleasure to be able to share the business knowledge that I have built from decades of work experience.”

• “I get to experience the creativity of working with all types of new and experienced business clients. Mentoring for SCORE is a great way to give back to my community.” 

The application process for mentors is very simple and accessible at score.org/centraloregon. You can also call 541-316-0662.