The 2024 Traverse City Young Professionals’ (TCYP) Morning Meetup Speaker Series is returning this fall! On September 19 at 8 a.m. ET, Jeff Hamilton, a volunteer mentor at SCORE, will share valuable information about SCORE, an organization that provides mentoring and education to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
As many young professionals (YPs) in the Traverse City area are small business owners and entrepreneurs, we’re excited to provide the opportunity to learn more about the resources SCORE has to offer and how YPs can get involved on a volunteer mentor level.
Ahead of the Morning Meetup, we sat down with Hamilton to discuss his background and career, what YPs need to know about starting a business and what YPs can expect to learn during his Morning Meetup presentation.
Tell us about your background and how you got involved with SCORE.
Hamilton: I was a consultant at Accenture for most of my professional career, and then I had a midlife career change that resulted in me starting a boutique photography studio with my wife (point of clarification: she’s the photographer; I just swept the porch and kept the books). My background as both a consultant and a small business owner led me to an interest in being a SCORE mentor.
Tell us about SCORE Traverse City and the services SCORE offers.
Hamilton: SCORE is a national volunteer organization that provides mentoring and education to small businesses and entrepreneurs. There are 225 SCORE chapters and approximately 10,000 SCORE volunteers across the country. We have a SCORE chapter in Traverse City that serves the surrounding five-county region and has 30 volunteers. We help small businesses with any issues they are struggling with, including marketing, financial management, growth strategies, operational efficiency and human resource issues. We also spend a lot of time with entrepreneurs who are looking to start a new business. We help them through the entire startup process, including validating their business idea, creating a business plan, identifying financing sources and launch planning.
What advice would you give to a YP looking to launch their own business?
Hamilton: The advice I would give to anyone looking to start a business is:
- Understand your “why.” Identify your objectives, including financial and lifestyle.
- Go in eyes wide open. Develop a plan that includes your expected financial return and that identifies all the capabilities and resources you will need to be successful.
- Build a team around you that includes a banker, attorney, certified public accountant, insurance agent and, of course, SCORE mentor.
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities that entrepreneurs face in the world today?
Hamilton: The opportunities of entrepreneurship are limited only by your imagination, energy and persistence. One of the biggest challenges many first-time entrepreneurs face is startup funding.
How can YPs get involved with SCORE?
Hamilton: If you are interested in starting a business, SCORE would love to work with you. And if you are looking for a volunteer opportunity that would contribute to the economic vitality of Northern Michigan, SCORE Traverse City has many opportunities where you could help.
What do you hope YPs take away from your presentation at the upcoming Morning Meetup?
Hamilton: I hope the YPs come away from the Morning Meetup with an awareness of what SCORE has to offer and perhaps an interest in learning more about us, either as a client or a volunteer.
Interested in learning more? Join us at TCYP’s September Morning Meetup held on September 19 at 8 a.m. ET at Traverse Connect in Downtown Traverse City.
