Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 ISSUE

SCORE Seeks Local Volunteers To Become Small Business Counselors

Counselors with the Boone SCORE office are seeking qualified and knowledgeable volunteers to assist those who are looking to launch a business career.

SCORE Counselor Herman Metzler explained that an ideal volunteer would be someone who has a background in business such as a retired executive or anyone willing to donate his or her time and experience to the local community.

“We’re looking for some who has been in business for a long time and can provide these services for free,” Metzler said. Prospective volunteers would assist budding entrepreneurs in dealing with the recent downturn in the national and local economy as well as helping those business men and women identify what is appropriate for their individual business. Finding ways to best utilize funds provided by the national stimulus package would also be provided by qualified volunteers, Metzler said. Volunteers provide confidential one-to-one team business counseling and low-cost entrepreneurial training workshops and seminars, a SCORE press release stated.

These volunteers would also help new business owners develop a business plan, allocate a tax number and address certain liability issues that new and existing businesses may encounter.

Metzler explained that the volunteers would guide the industrialists through every step of the business process including how to develop a marketing plan and how to handle certain refinancing issues.

In addition, volunteers would provide email counseling directly from their home or homes. All volunteers will also undergo a pre-screening process and be required to sign a code of ethics that will help protect the confidentiality of those who look to acquire SCORE services.

“We would meet with everyone and tell them what we would expect from volunteers,” Metzler said. “It is important to SCORE to be recognized as an entity that you could talk to and not have to worry about that information leaving the room.

“We have 11,000 volunteers nationwide who meet with entrepreneurs every day and all of us need to keep that information we receive confidential,” he added.

Currently, the Boone office of SCORE is seeking volunteers for services in Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga and Wilkes counties.

For more information on how to become a SCORE volunteer, call Metzler at 336-982-5330 or email hgpmetzler@verizon.net.

The Boone SCORE office is located in the Appalachian Enterprise Center at 130 Poplar Grove Connector. If you are a business looking for office space and/or business counseling, call the AEC at 828-264-2732.