SCORE volunteer in east Pasco available for one-on-one expert business counseling

DADE CITY

In an effort to help the local economy in east Pasco, a nonprofit that offers free advice to small-business owners is beefing up its presence in Dade City.

Until a year and a half ago, many of the volunteer counselors with the Pasco/Hernando chapter of SCORE — the Service Corps of Retired Executives — lived in west Pasco or Hernando counties. The volunteers or the east Pasco business owners who wanted to take advantage of free one-on-one business counseling faced a lengthy drive.

"It was inconvenient," said Jim Karam, the chapter's chairman.

That was until Ralph Scott joined the group. He's the first local SCORE counselor in several years to live in east Pasco, Karam said.

Now, Scott is available to meet with business owners on the east side of the county, sans commute. And he's trying to drum up more customers to take advantage of the free service.

"Very little was done on this side of (Interstate) 75," said Scott, 72, who moved to Lake Jovita two and a half years ago from Haines City. "It was one of the reasons I joined SCORE."

A native of Michigan, Scott has a resume boasting more than 40 years of business experience in sales, marketing and finance.

He retired in 2001 and now spends his days playing golf and helping clients develop business plans, secure funds and target their marketing outreach.

He's one of about two dozen volunteers with the Pasco/Hernando SCORE, which averages 40 new clients each month.

SCORE, which started in 1964 and partners with the federal Small Business Administration, offers its services free to established and aspiring small-business owners. The local group, which also offers seminars about once a week on topics ranging from QuickBooks to marketing, has since expanded to include nonretired volunteers.

"I just wanted to give back to businesses that needed it," said Scott.

Debra Flood, owner of the Garden of Eden Salon and Day Spa in Dade City, trimmed Scott's hair regularly for almost a year before tapping his services.

"With the economic situation at hand, it was obvious that as a business owner, I needed to make some important decisions," she said.

Scott helped her understand her target market and identify her selling points, including location and ambience. He developed a cohesive marketing plan for the spa.

"I was already doing a lot of what he talked about, but there was no organization," Flood said.

Flood hired an advertising agency to communicate the assets that Scott helped her recognize about her business. She is also changing the spa's logo and Web site to make them more cohesive with each other, a recommendation from Scott.

She feels confident that once the market picks back up, she will be ahead of the pack because of SCORE's help.

"I feel like I'm truly expressing my business more professionally," Flood said.

Helen Anne Travis can be reached at htravis@sptimes.com or (813) 435-7312.