Imagine loving your job so much that when you retire, you continue to do it – for free. There is an organization in Cleveland staffed with people who are doing just that. SCORE, a volunteer association and resource partner of the Small Business Association, was founded in 1964 and has 11,500 volunteers in its 389 chapters nationwide. SCORE volunteers provide free assistance in everything from creating a business plan to obtaining the necessary financing to marketing a company.

The SCORE organization is staffed mostly with retired (some are semi-retired, or “active”) business owners and managers who are so passionate about their areas of expertise that they continue to ply their trades without charge, providing free business counseling to entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The 60 volunteers of SCORE's Cleveland chapter are all “movers and shakers” in the local business community who offer their many years of experience to help local business owners. When business owners contact SCORE to request advice, their needs are matched with two of the best-suited counselors. This process ensures that both the client and the volunteer are satisfied with the results of their meeting.

Laraine Heck, a volunteer with SCORE for two years, became interested in donating her time to the organization because she believes that it offers a vital service to the community. Laraine has an accounting and financial background, and is no stranger to starting a business. Describing herself as a “hands-on entrepreneur” (once named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year), she became involved with SCORE because “it's a very worthwhile cause, and I wanted to be part of it. I'm always out there as an advocate for SCORE, because I really believe in it.”

Dick Rutkoski, another volunteer, spent 38 years in sales and marketing, and wanted to find a way to use his experience to give something back. He explains, “When I retired, I said to myself, 'You've spent your life in selling and marketing. What can you contribute?' Now, six years later, I'm still in SCORE.”

Both Laraine and Dick agree that one of the greatest things SCORE has to offer is to help small business owners avoid making common mistakes. Laraine says that she could have saved herself a lot of grief early in her career if she had been able to tap into a resource like SCORE. “I needed counseling in my early years of business-owning,” she says, “but I couldn't afford it, and I didn't yet have the savvy to tell if the advice I was getting was good or not. Had a service like this been offered to me, I would have had a higher comfort level, and would have saved myself a lot of time and effort.”

Dick adds, “Ultimately, we're helping to eliminate mistakes that many small business owners make. It's all about giving back to the community.”

If you are under the impression that a group of retired people wouldn't know the most cutting-edge information for today's entrepreneurs, think again. SCORE incorporates informational presentations at its monthly meetings and offers continuing education to ensure that all counselors have the most up-to-date information about industry standards, new technology, website development and current financing trends.

The wealth of knowledge and continuous training all pay off for those who turn to SCORE. Laraine and Dick are proud of the success that SCORE has engendered in local businesses – and rightly so. Dick cites one example of a counselor who helped a local business owner transform a company turning no profit into a $5 million business. “We help people enjoy success,” Dick says, “and we're proud of their successes, too.”

Laraine adds, “All I'm looking for are success stories. We say, 'Your success is our success.' I want to help launch a company that will stay around forever – and it can happen.”

Both of these SCORE volunteers report that the satisfaction of knowing that they have been helpful makes all the work worthwhile. The clients are grateful and often return again and again, a true measure of the organization's success. Dick reports that one 22-year veteran SCORE counselor has a client who has been coming to him for 15 years. He adds proudly, “The most satisfying part of volunteering at SCORE is the love we get back from people. People are so grateful to receive honest advice without any monetary attachment. Our pay is when the client keeps coming back to us. That's our paycheck.”

Laraine concurs. “I take pride in the fact that I'm a mentor,” she says. “I help people get back on track. I've done something to help someone who might not have been able to afford the counseling otherwise.” .

SCORE Cleveland is located at 1350 Euclid Ave., Suite 216. They can be reached at (216) 522-4194, or on their website at www.scorecleveland.org.

SCORE Cleveland is looking to add to its base of experienced volunteers. The chapter is particularly looking to increase its minority base. For information on becoming a volunteer, please ask for Roger Hippsley when you call.

Photo by Bob Perkoski, www.Perkoski.com.