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Published August 16, 2022

If you’ve ever had an idea for a business but no idea how to get it off the ground, there is free help available right at your fingertips, from successful business leaders here in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

Kolnita Riggins-Walker has a vision — turning her father-in-law's former dental practice of 70 years into a thriving upscale restaurant called Docs on Harvard in Cleveland.

“When you have a dream and it is part of a legacy and it is part of a rich history, you just keep going,” Kolnita said. She has the experience — 24 years running Classic Cuisine Catering — but she was still looking for guidance.

“It’s one thing to be a full-service catering company with experience in business, but to go to a full-fledged restaurant, brick and mortar, I’m like, ‘I need some help,’” Kolnita said.

That’s where “SCORE Cleveland” provided an invaluable mentorship.

SCORE is made up of 10,000 volunteers across the country — half retired executives, half business leaders in the community — passing on their knowledge of running successful companies. Here in Northeast Ohio, they have roughly 90 volunteers.

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