About the Guest(s): Betsy Dougert is the Vice President of External Relations for SCORE, a nonprofit organization that provides free mentoring and low-cost education to entrepreneurs. With over 10,000 volunteers across the country, SCORE offers guidance and support to anyone looking to start, grow, or sell a business. Betsy is responsible for public relations, social media, alliance partnerships, and government relations at SCORE, and she is passionate about sharing the success stories of SCORE clients and the expertise of their dedicated mentors.

Summary: In this episode, Ronald Skelton interviews Betsy Dougert, the Vice President of External Relations for SCORE. They discuss the origin and mission of SCORE, a nonprofit organization that provides free mentoring and low-cost education to entrepreneurs. Betsy explains how SCORE was founded by retired DuPont executives in 1964 and has since grown to have a presence in every state in the U.S. She emphasizes that SCORE's mentoring services are completely free and confidential, thanks to their federal funding. Betsy also highlights the diverse expertise of SCORE's mentors and the wide range of resources available on their website, including workshops, templates, and specialized hubs for veterans, women, and minority entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways:

SCORE is a nonprofit organization that offers free mentoring and low-cost education to entrepreneurs.
Their mentors have diverse backgrounds and expertise in various industries, providing guidance throughout the different stages of a business's life cycle.
SCORE is an official resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and works closely with other SBA resource partners to serve business owners nationwide.
The mentoring services provided by SCORE are completely free and confidential, thanks to their federal funding.
SCORE offers online resources, workshops, and customizable templates to help entrepreneurs with business planning, financial analysis, and other essential aspects of running a business.

Notable Quotes:

"Our mentors really do want to lift up others with them. They feel like they went through all this, they learned a lot of these lessons the hard way, and they really just want to lift up others with them." - Betsy Dougert
"The personality fit really does matter. It's just like going to the doctor or going to a therapist. The personality fit really does matter." - Betsy Dougert
"When you come to SCORE, you really are tapping into that nationwide network, not just of SCORE chapters, but of all those other resource partners too, that we know and will refer people around to." - Betsy Dougert

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/h52h1KpODy4

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Contact Betsy on
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsydougert/
Website: https://www.score.org/
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E179: SCORE: Free Mentoring and Resources for Small Business Owners with Betsy Dougert

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