Rob Hughes: My name is Robert Hughes. I'm currently the acting chapter chair for SCORE Grand Rapids - Holland and also one of two Associate District Directors for our Michigan district.
Steven Assarian: Rob, what exactly is SCORE?
Rob Hughes: Founded 1964, SCORE mentoring is a free service offered to any aspiring entrepreneurs and established owners of a U.S.-based business. Partnering with you one-on-one, SCORE mentors support your success by providing experienced advice, consulting on best practices, and educating you on small business topics.
SCORE proudly celebrates 60 years of helping America’s small businesses launch, grow and thrive. Since 1964, more than 17 million entrepreneurs have received support from SCORE, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Today, SCORE has a nationwide network of more than 10,000 volunteers serving all 50 U.S. states and territories, guiding entrepreneurs on their path to success. Our chapter serves the Greater Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area & Holland.
Our mission continues today to foster entrepreneurs and vibrant small businesses through mentoring and education. Our vision is that every person has the support necessary to thrive as a small business owner.
Steven Assarian: What does mentoring actually mean?
Rob Hughes: We help you, we guide you, we give you ideas, we help you analyze, but above all, through mentoring, we develop the trust necessary to listen to and guide entrepreneurs. They're not paying us. We're doing it pro bono because we care. We're donating our time, but more importantly, we're donating our knowledge. That's the best way to describe it.
Steven Assarian: What kind of an experience can an entrepreneur expect when they engage with a SCORE mentor for the first time?
During the session, you'll discuss your business goals and challenges. Your mentor will ask you questions about what’s working in your business (and what’s not) and will seek to understand what you’re hoping to achieve in working with them. They will provide answers to your business questions, connect you to local and national resources, and will recommend workshops and events to help you fill any knowledge gaps that might exist.
Steven Assarian: What’s your entrepreneurial background?
Rob Hughes: I was a 3rd generation owner of a family business here in Grand Rapids founded in 1950 by my grandfather. Under my leadership, our business evolved three times with technological changes. We didn't have a SCORE mentor, but had I known about SCORE, I would’ve loved to have had one.
Steven Assarian: What are the kinds of expertise that you could expect from a SCORE mentor?
Rob Hughes: We’ve had retired top level plant managers of various manufacturing businesses, accountants, lawyers, restaurateurs, all sorts of people. We learn from each other too.
That's the other nice thing about SCORE. We reach out to each other, and we grow together as we learn. When you retire from an industry, and that's all you know, with SCORE you can go into a new environment and learn from people with all sorts of backgrounds. It’s amazing what can happen, what you can learn.
I have one client. She calls us “her secret weapon”. [Laughs] Once people tap into us, it's when they see the depth that we have, and how much we can help, it’s really great.
Steven Assarian: So it’s not just knowledge from the mentors themselves; it’s also the knowledge that they're getting being plugged into SCORE’s network.
Rob Hughes: We have resources beyond that too. Our website is a resource library with hundreds of articles, pre-recorded and upcoming webinars, and downloadable financial planning templates.
Steven Assarian: I certainly do. They’re really good tools for the new entrepreneur. So in terms of your own experience, are there any trends with entrepreneurs themselves that you find interesting?
Rob Hughes: Above all, the successful entrepreneurs I’ve mentored have patience, communication and people skills. Some of the entrepreneurs I see get hung up on the ‘shiny machine’ before they do their research. The entrepreneur has this great idea, and they're in a hurry to get started before figuring out if their idea is feasible. Just because there's a building lease open, doesn't mean you should move there, build it out, and throw a hail mary. You have to do due diligence.
Steven Assarian: If you're an entrepreneur, and you want to, like you said, do your due diligence, what’s the first thing you should be looking at?
Rob Hughes: For my money, the best place to start is the Business Model Canvas. It's an excellent one page document that can help you lay out the rationale of your business.
Steven Assarian: What would you say is the biggest benefit of the Business Model Canvas?
Rob Hughes: You can operate your business using it. It's a living document. Traditional business plans often just go in your desk drawer and stay there. Maybe it helped you get your loan, but it’s just too specific for the day-to-day. The Business Model Canvas is more flexible, more usable in daily operations. We’ve been using it for over a decade.
Steven Assarian: Speaking of decades, your SCORE chapter is pretty robust. What can you tell me about our Grand Rapids chapter?
Rob Hughes: We have 37 volunteers on the team, and we contributed over 5200 hours of service in FY24. We've mentored 600 for clients, which was an increase of 18% over 2023. We conducted 1761 mentoring sessions over that year, which was an increase of almost 24%. We’re getting requests coming in every day.
One of the things we’ve improved recently is the communication between chapters. Instead of us being silos like we were 20 years ago, we're a One SCORE network of volunteers that connect together nationally. That's important. No matter which SCORE chapter, you'll get a consistent experience, and we can draw on expertise from other chapters too.
Steven Assarian: I understand you’re always on the lookout for new mentors. What’s the benefit of becoming a mentor?
Rob Hughes: Being a mentor is really fulfilling. It's fulfilling to be able to share your knowledge. You're out there and you're working, still involved with people in a business setting, and you're learning from other people as well.
Steven Assarian: Where do people go if they want to find out more?
Rob Hughes: Well, when you call our chapter at (616) 771-0305, and we’ll get you connected. To see our trainings, templates, and other tools, you can go to the website, Score.org. There you can also see profiles of our mentors, and directly request them based on the expertise you specifically need.
