Finding consulting help for a small business

No matter what type of small business you have, it’s hard to know everything about running it the best way possible. Maybe you’re great at marketing, but stumble over balance sheets; or you shine as a leader, but social media has you stumped. Advice from outside advisers, technical experts or consultants can be critical to taking a business to the next level.
What’s more, when you are emotionally attached to what’s happening it’s sometimes difficult to see solutions that might be clear to impartial observers. And some people simply know more than you do on certain topics.
This is the kingdom of consultants. They come in every imaginable size, shape, form and flavor, but knowing where to find the best ones, and how to work with them, isn’t easy. Some earn rock star rates, while others – often with equally impressive credentials – volunteer their services for free.
Getting started is a two-step process. First decide what type of help you need. If you need computer, telecommunications, human resources or other specialized advice, it doesn’t make sense to hire a management-consulting generalist. But if you aren’t sure what the problem is, or need a head-to-toe review, a generalist might be great.
The second and sometimes more difficult task is to locate the best person or organization to provide the answers you need. Here are some great places to find consulting help, starting with the ones offering free services.
SCORE calls it “counseling” or “mentoring,” but it’s just consulting by another name, and this nonprofit organization is one of the best places around to get free and confidential advice from successful business advisers. You have two basic choices: Search for a specific mentor online, based on keywords (like “pet store” or “accounting”), or location, and submit questions via email.
Or locate the nearest SCORE office and get paired with a counselor face-to-face. SCORE’s 11,000 volunteers give free, confidential advice to help hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs each year. SCORE business coaches – men and women, working and retired – counsel small business owners from over 300 offices nationwide.
You can talk to SCORE again and again. There’s no limit, and SCORE encourages long-term mentoring relationships. The group also has hundreds of specialty experts to answer specific questions. Visit www.score.org. • Small-business development centers are also fertile territory for finding free or low-cost business counseling, from help with writing a business plan to specialized help with manufacturing processes, Web marketing skills, budgeting and many other business topics. There are some 1,500 SBDC locations nationwide, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. You’ll find an SBDC Locator on the site at www.sba.gov/sbdc.
• Minority-business development centers, which operate under the U.S. Department of Commerce, offer access to consulting and mentoring services for minority business owners. Learn more and locate a center at www.mbda.gov.
• A network of 100 women’s business centers in nearly every state provides women business owners with long-term training, counseling and mentoring. WBCs get funding from the SBA and promote the growth of women-owned businesses through training and technical assistance, along with providing access to credit, capital, federal contracts and international trade opportunities.
WBCs also have specialized programs that include mentoring in multiple languages and Internet training. To locate the nearest center, visit the SBDC site listed above (www.sba.gov/sbdc) and click on the Women’s Business Center link on the left.
• The Society of Communications Technology Consultants can help you locate an experienced professional to guide you in making communications tech decisions. Visit their site at www.stcconsultants.org.
MindSHIFT offers IT management and consulting services for small and midsized businesses. Visit www.mindshift.com.
• For a business that needs a total turnaround, the Turnaround Management Association is where you can find a turnaround professional. Turnaround specialists have no political agenda or other obligations to bias the decision-making process, allowing them to take sometimes unpopular, but necessary, steps required for a company’s survival. Visit www.turnaround.org. •


Daniel Kehrer can be reached at editor@business.com.

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