RATIONAL RETIREES: Seasoned executives help fledgling owners make savvier decisions.

• Author: Barkin, Dan

Big businesses get attention because they have large payrolls. But we are a nation with many more small businesses than big ones. There are more than 135,000 companies in our state with fewer than five employees. Our economy's vitality depends on small businesses.

That is why I wanted to learn more about SCORE, a small business mentoring organization with more than 320 chapters and some 11,000 volunteers nationwide. The enterprise is supported by $14 million annually from Congress, plus $9 million in fundraising. You may know its original name, Service Corps of Retired Executives. SCORE has nine chapters in North Carolina that provide advice and workshops.

During the pandemic, a lot of people started businesses. Business applications for federal tax numbers, running between 1,000 and 2,000 a week in North Carolina, jumped above 4,000 at times. These folks need help.

Unlike in 1964, when SCORE was launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the mentors now include folks who are not retired, like Charlotte attorney Helen Ruth "HR" Harwell.

I sat down with a SCORE volunteer to find out what SCORE could do for my clients. And she said, 'Come by, be a volunteer, and you'll figure it out,"' says Harwell. She became a mentor in 2014. Harwell and Danny Fischer of Matthews were honored recently for their work as co-presidents for leading the Charlotte chapter in 202122. During the height of Covid, traditional in-person mentoring had to move to phone calls, emails and Zoom, as did workshops.

"This required major adjustments in how SCORE Charlotte normally conducted business," says Barbara Brill, president of the 72-volunteer chapter. "Harwell and Fischer led our chapter through two very tough years," says Brill, which is why both received the Dick O'Brien Award, named for a former chapter chair.

Becoming a SCORE mentor requires commitment and experience, said Harwell. Mentors go through training and are expected to volunteer with clients for at least 10 hours a month.

The initial interaction with SCORE typically comes when someone looking for help requests a mentor on the website. From there, they can get paired with an appropriate mentor. That can result in one session or a continuing relationship.

"A lot of our clients are already in business and have the one-off problem or thing they're struggling with," says Harwell.

I sat through a recent Zoom workshop, the first module of "Simple Steps for Starting Your Business," and it was a good...