Retired businesspeople offer sage business advice

But the least heralded of the options is the Service Corps of Retired Executives, an army of retired businessmen and businesswomen who, in retirement, prefer to offer their services gratis as business guides to those in need rather than see out their remaining days on the golf course.

The 41-year-old organization is funded by Congress and administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE's span of influence is impressive, with 11,000 counselors operating out of 389 chapters in the United States. That's in addition to the 1,200 counselors who advise and consult online, an option that has become exceptionally popular with time-constrained business owners who often don't have time during the regular workday to attend to remedial business needs or strategic introspection.

Those who seek help from SCORE are not charged a fee unless they attend group workshops, which are offered on an optional basis for $30 to $50 a session.

While 20 percent of SCORE counselors are still serving as active business practitioners, the other 80 percent are retirees. Counselors come from every sector of the business world, including corporate America, retail, service industries and manufacturing.

All business functions are represented including sales, marketing, human resources, production, operations and finance.

Obviously, the entrepreneurial sector represents fertile territory for SCORE. National spokesperson Michael Keaton says that a major and growing demand for the organization's services is in the area of start-ups.

Why go to SCORE?

The primary benefit lies in having access to advisers who have accumulated a lifetime of hands-on experience. The scope of advice covers the waterfront - assistance to start-ups and fledgling operations, remedial counsel to companies encountering problems and challenges and guidance to successful businesses that need to manage sudden and surging growth. And the best part: It's free. Nobody gets turned away. Notes Keaton, “If you've got a legitimate business need, we'll find the time to help you”.

Case studies where SCORE has been of help abound. Tom Martin, vice chairman of marketing for the Atlanta chapter of SCORE, cites a local start-up that required business and marketing plans for a product innovation that utilizes vegetable-based core ingredients in the manufacturing of coolers. Keaton quotes examples of a New York-based company seeking help in franchising its kids' party concept and a high-end rug-cleaning company seeking business counsel.

What's the process?

The protocol for working with SCORE is relatively straightforward. Interested parties first talk to a counselor by phone or e-mail as part of a screening process. Once the need has been discussed and validated, an appointment is made and the applicant is matched with an appropriate local adviser based on background, industry or functional requirement. The company's existing or prospective plans are reviewed (if they exist), current operations are analyzed and appropriate recommendations made. In the best of cases, a traditional consulting relationship develops between applicant and counselor which can extend from a short-term engagement to a long-term, ongoing partnership. And, not to belabor the point, it's totally free.

One is always reminded of the adage, “You get what you pay for.” Following that line of reasoning, SCORE's cost-free service could conceivably raise an eyebrow or two. There is a point of difference, however, that legitimizes SCORE's activities, and that's the background and mindset of its corps of counselors.

An altruistic desire to help others and, in an ironic twist of the organization's name, the desire to remain active in mind even if retired in career, are the predominant traits of the average counselor. And therein lies the legitimacy of the organization and the value of the service it provides.

Alf Nucifora is a California-based marketing consultant. To correspond with Alf or to receive a copy of his free, monthly, online newsletter, “The Alf Report,” he can be reached at alf@nucifora.com or www.nucifora.com.