Mentoring

Moats Kennedy Inc.

Marilyn Moats Kennedy, a former journalist and Glamour columnist as well a DePaul professor, had a successful and profitable business giving keynote speeches and workshops on changing workforce demographics. Towards the end of 2008, business slowed and by 2009 it was at a standstill.  At the advice of a friend, she sought assistance from a SCORE mentor who helped her launch the business into the digital age.

www.MoatsKennedy.com

Owner/Founder
Marilyn Moats Kennedy
My Location
Chicago IL
United States
Year Company Formed
1975
My Successes

Marilyn began blogging to showcase her expertise. “Blogging has been tremendously helpful, because unlike traditional journalism, people give immediate feedback,” she says.

In the past, Marilyn had only gotten work from those who had heard her speak. Now the blogging campaign “extended my reach beyond those whom I had already worked for. Speaking and workshop leads come from the website and blog as well.”

How SCORE Helped

Marilyn had spent $3,000 on a website to revive her business, but the developer was unresponsive and the project unsatisfactory. Then Erica Levin, a SCORE client, referred her to SCORE mentor Peg Corwin for help with online marketing.  Together she and her mentor revised the moatskennedy.com website, which she can now access and edit herself. Peg advised on appropriate copy, search engine optimization, and blogging. She helped her find a developer by providing names of three from whom to get quotes.

Peg also advised Marilyn on her social media presence, helping her fill in her LinkedIn profile and organize and network with target clients through it.

Marilyn concludes, “Peg Corwin has helped me with the social media, my website, SEO, and marketing more than I even knew I needed. I am 200% ahead of where I was before she worked with me.”

Little Island

I have loved cooking and baking since I was a little girl in Jamaica. I once tried to bake my sister a birthday cake using a wood-burning stove. That cake wasn't a success but my latest venture into preparing food for others shows every sign of becoming a big success. Last May I opened “Little Island”, an authentic Jamaican Restaurant, in Hillsborough, New Jersey.

I got the idea to open my restaurant in the summer of 2011. I was taking the science courses I needed to get a degree in nursing, but really wasn't enjoying my studies. When I thought about what I really wanted to do, I kept coming back to my love for the Jamaican food I grew up enjoying.

The next step I took was to start my research — were there any direct competitors in Hillsborough?  How far would I be from nearest Jamaican restaurants?  What did they serve on their menus?  What was their pricing?  And, of course, what would it take to open my own restaurant?  Could I find a good location?  What licenses would I need?  What equipment?  Who were good, reliable vendors?  And most important, what would it cost?

All of this information is necessary, but can be overwhelming.  My son, Michael, suggested that I go to SCORE to seek advice.  I started working with SCORE mentors in August 2011.  My first focus was on forming an LLC and reserving my desired name both as a business and for my website.  I then moved on to developing a business plan that would allow me to determine what I would need to invest to open a new business and support that business through the critical first 12 to 18 months of operation. Fortunately, I didn't allow myself to be rushed into decisions.

My Location
378 South Branch Road
Hillsborough NJ 08844
United States
Year Company Formed
2012
My Successes

Local News Article on Us by the Hillsborough Patch

What's Great About My Mentor?

L to R: Gene Strupinski, Hillsborough Township, NJ Business Advocate, June Lee, Ownerand Nancy Bukovina, SCORE Central Jersey Mentor

 

How SCORE Helped

SCORE Counselors worked with me from early in the planning effort for this business.  I first came to SCORE looking for guidance in forming a business entity and establishing a plan for my business. After the initial meeting, SCORE counselors assisted me in developing my business plan, defining strategies for negotiating my lease and determining an initial marketing strategy. I researched the pricing and quality of directly competitive restaurants within a viable commuting distance of my chosen location. SCORE then assisted me in developing a pricing strategy for my own menu that would be both competitive and profitable.

Truck Stop’s Owner Wins Grant for Face Lift - Meghan Schiller

Date
Fri, 2013-01-11 10:01

J.D.'s Truck Stop has provided rest for weary travelers along US31 and I-80/90 East, since the 1970's. The owner of the popular spot was surprised to learn she won a grant to help give the place a much needed facelift.

Masten has been working with a local non-profit called "Michiana SCORE" for the past year.  The non-profit assigned Masten a mentor to help her bring the struggling truck stop back to life.

 

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At 72, A New Recipe for Success - Matthew Ferreira

Date
Fri, 2013-01-11 09:49

While many 72-year-olds are either in retirement or beginning to think about wrapping up their life's work, Middleboro resident and recent small business grant recipient Joe Gulino is starting a new chapter of his. With a new cookbook "Let's Eat with Joe Gulino" for sale and a second book waiting to be published, the former hairdresser continues to keep his plate full.

 

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Broward SCORE Volunteers are judges in DECA High school District Competition

Date
Wed, 2013-01-09 06:21

 

Broward SCORE Volunteers today participated as judges at the DECA High School District Competition, a one-day competition, which included events related to entrepreneurship, marketing and sales. As part of the competition, students presented their business plans, and gave marketing and sales presentations. Besides SCORE Volunteers, the event’s judges included staff and faculty members from the Huizenga Business School, as well as Entrepreneurship Council Members. Over 250 students from 18 schools participated.

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Yo Ho Ho and a Barrel of Rum: North Hampton Startup Making Drink the Old-Fashioned Way - Katie Fiegenbaum

Date
Tue, 2013-01-08 10:36

Yo Ho Ho and a Barrel of Rum: North Hampton Startup Making Drink the Old-Fashioned Way

Starting a business brewing artisan rum in an industrial park in North Hampton with little previous experience may sound like a crazy idea. However, Heather Hughes started her own microdistillery, Sea Hagg Distillery, in North Hampton a little over six months ago and business is still going strong.

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Pizza-flavored Healthy Candy Invented by Doctor Being Made in Philadelphia - Kelly Roncace

Date
Fri, 2013-01-04 09:25

Approximately two years ago, Dr. Rita DiCarlo, now of Palm Desert, Calif., who has a doctorate degree in chiropractic medicine and is also an RN, was inspired to create something that’s fun to eat for those who have a restricted diet.  “I was sitting there thinking about all the patients who want to eat pizza and can’t,” she said. “I thought, there has to be a substitute or a way to make something.”

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Preparing For Life’s Second Act - James A. Fitts and John Weeks

Date
Thu, 2013-01-03 12:42

It’s a situation that every family business owner will eventually face: What will I do when I no longer own and run my business?

Becoming a mentor, angel investor, SCORE volunteer, board member, or advisor to another business can provide new meaning to a person whose life was previously defined by their business accomplishments.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Footloose: Entrepreneur dances to success

Date
Thu, 2012-12-27 16:07

When Evelyn Squires launched her dance studio five years ago in partnership with her mother-in-law, Heather Squires, she made one crucial, yet common, misstep.  She focused too much on the passion, and not enough on the business basics. “I was a dancer,” Evelyn Squires tells Coffee Talk. “I thought as long as I offered dance lessons, the studio would thrive.”

But the studio, after five years of trial and error, in addition to significant assistance from nonprofit business counseling service Manasota SCORE, is now flourishing.

 

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Gardens 4 Education

Every year we all shell out exorbitant amounts of money for unnecessary items like cookie dough, candy and giftwrap in an attempt to support our local schools.  But most of that money ends up going to the fundraising company instead!  One parent, Jeannie Williams, had had enough.  She decided to turn this grievance into a business opportunity and utilize her organic farming skills all at the same time.  Soon, Gardens 4 Educations, an ingenious fundraising program that both fosters healthy habits and results in more profits for schools, was born.

www.gardens4education.com

Owner/Founder
Jeannie Williams
My Location
Hanford CA
United States
Year Company Formed
2011
My Successes

The Gardens 4 Education fundraiser started as an easy to use garden kit in a disposable six-pack carrier. Jeannie first tested out the practical use of her concept in her daughter’s classroom during the Spring of 2011. The fundraiser was a hit. That Fall, she sought the help of SCORE and her mentor, Harley Roberts, helped her work through many of the questions and issues she faced as a new business owner. Harley connected Jeannie with ABLE Industries, an assembler and distributor committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities by creating opportunities to maximize their independence.

The garden kits have now evolved into a four-pack of large plants in a reusable garden tote with advertising space sold on the side. This advertising opportunity increases even further the significant profit potential of the fundraiser for schools; while most fundraising programs offer 20-40% of profits to the school, Gardens 4 Education offers 50% plus the advertising potential.

In 2013 the Gardens 4 Education fundraiser will be available to all schools in the Kings and Tulare counties of California.

What's Great About My Mentor?

Jeannie reflects on her mentor’s influence saying, “I feel very fortunate to have Harley Roberts as my SCORE mentor.  He has helped me realize opportunities that I didn’t even know existed.  His suggestion to contract assembly and shipping through Able Industries ultimately changed the direction of my distribution model to one that can grow and reach more schools.  I don’t think he realizes just how instrumental he has been in helping me develop Gardens 4 Education into a viable business.”

How SCORE Helped

Jeannie plans to continue working with SCORE as Gardens 4 Education continues to grow.  She say, “We have come a long way but there’s still a long way to go.  It gives me confidence to know that I have a resource where I can get help from people who have been there.”

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