Score Bergen Provides Small Biz Owners an Affordable Helping Hand

The risks involved with starting a business can be daunting. 

One local non-profit group is trying to help make that leap of faith a bit more comfortable for entrepreneurs in Bergen County.

ScoreBergen, the local chapter of SCORE comprises more than 40 counselors — mostly semi-retired or retired executives — who have either achieved top-level positions in major firms or have owned and operated their own small- to mid-size companies.

They offer up their services in various aspects of business operation, from accounting to manufacturing, to individuals looking for help with their small business.

Dan McHugh, 40, of Wyckoff, had worked for various medium to large companies including DialAmerica, Copelco, Ernst & Young, Cendant and Wyndham Worldwide during his career.

Then about 4 years ago, he chose to leave the corporate grind and stake out his own business path. 

He bought a turn-key franchise called "Expense Reduction Analysts," which is exactly what it sounds like.

McHugh already had the operational knowledge he would need, but once he got the ball rolling he discovered a deficiency.

"I was looking for some guidance with marketing," McHugh said.

McHugh, who got his undergraduate degree from Ramapo then attained his MBA from Montclair State University, said he then began working with Score out of their Paramus offices.

"I'd go monthly and meet with my coach. It would give me an opportunity to step back from the day to day and realize that I had actually made progress," McHugh said.

McHugh said he had trouble seeing the path forward because of an extended business cycle that left him with a lot of questions.

"Those first 9 months in the business you feel like 'What's going on? Am I going to be successful?'" McHugh said, explaining that contacts were made, contracts were signed, and then there was a 3 month review process before the income would start flowing. "You have a lot of questions that are building up in your mind — that first 12 month period was kind of lean."

It was a major risk at first, McHugh said he was living on severance pay from a previous employer.

"Through our sessions what I came to find out — and what they reinforced for me — was that the marketing I was doing was 'rifle marketing'... very focused on one prospect," McHugh said.

Score assured McHugh that the results they were seeing from his rifle marketing were "quite strong," and told him to keep doing what he was doing. 

"The mentoring and coaching and support made me feel like, 'OK, I'm making progress every month, I'm seeing my direct marketing efforts turn into meetings, my meetings are turning into contracts, my contracts are turning into income,'" McHugh said.

They tailored a program specifically for his needs, at no cost to McHugh.

"I don't have an office where I can go down the hallway and talk to a mentor... it's nice to have that mentor to reinforce [me] and help course correct when I was questioning what I was doing," McHugh said.

"When you're starting out and you have no income, to have a free resource is invaluable. I didn't have $1,000 to get a marketing consultant, but I was able to take advantage of [the counselors] who brought a wealth of experience in those areas to bear on the projects I was working on."

Instrumental among what McHugh called a "versatile staff" was Charles Dye.

Dye had spent a decade as an entrepreneur, mostly in the computer and consulting industry. 

Mostly retired now, Dye is a past Bergen Score chapter chair.

"With score I find it fascinating because there are so many good ideas that people come in with — 60 percent of the people want to start a business, but 40 percent are already there," Dye said.

He said McHugh's case was fairly typical for a start up operation, where he and the client would discuss fine tuning the operation.

While he never used Score during his career, Dye said the reason he got involved was to help pay back the good deeds others had afforded him in the past. 

"Most workshops are just $25," Dye said. "It's a real bargain."

You can find Score Bergen on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

"Score Bergen's also very excited about our new veteran initiative," said Aimee La Fountain, a press relations representative. "As part of the initiative, veterans may attend our upcoming Simple Steps workshop series at no cost."

Click here for more on the initiative.

Score will also be participating in the upcoming  hosted by the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce on February 21.

You can contact Score Bergen at 201-599-6090.