THE BUSINESS PLAN
FOR FISCAL YEARS 2014 – 2015
SCORE CHAPTER 342
120 SE 6TH AVENUE
TOPEKA, KS 66603
MISSION STATEMENT
Mission: To serve the small business needs of the Topeka region. Topeka SCORE will provide
resources and wise, practical advice, through educational workshops, round tables and
personalized volunteer mentoring, to those starting their own businesses or those improving or
expanding their existing businesses. We will assist all clients who request our training and
mentoring services.
In this endeavor, as a part of the SCORE association, we support and subscribe to the mission of
SCORE: Foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.
VISION STATEMENT
Vision: Every person has the support necessary to thrive as a small business owner.
SCORE will achieve ongoing client allegiance through:
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Consistently providing relevant and competitive products and services
Proactively anticipating and meeting needs and expectations of a diverse client base
Continuously enhancing and promoting the image of SCORE in all that we do
Ensuring organizational capability and alignment
Funding and enabling continuous progress and growth
By living our core values, we will demand excellence in ourselves and in all aspects of our
organization. Both SCORE volunteers and leadership will be challenged to grow personally and
professionally, to accept responsibility and accountability, and to deliver upon our strategic
goals and objectives. This will ensure long-term viability and sustainability of SCORE.
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VALUES STATEMENTS
Client Focus: We value our diverse client base and ensure that our interactions are
professional, beneficial, and efficient. The welfare of our clients is our utmost concern.
Delivering Quality: We strive to be the best by consistently delivering high-quality products and
services. The knowledge and experience of our volunteers will ensure the long-term viability of
our organization.
Ethical Conduct: Interactions with our clients, our partners, and our volunteers occur within a
code of moral and ethical conduct that is above reproach.
Professionalism: As volunteers, we serve our clients, our community, and our organization in a
professional manner. We are dedicated to continuous process improvement to enable
personal and professional growth.
Contributing to the Community: SCORE is a valuable member of the community. Both
independently, and through cooperation with other agencies, our organization will make
significant contributions to the local economy.
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MARKET ANALYSIS – SIZE, TRENDS, TARGET
CUSTOMERS
Our main market area is nine counties (Shawnee, Osage, Wabaunsee, Geary, Riley,
Pottawatomie, Marshal, Nemaha and Jackson Counties) including the Topeka Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA). We serve other counties surrounding our main market area. Our market
area is 6,155 square miles and the Topeka MSA has a total land area of 3,290 square miles and
consists of urban and rural (over 90%) areas. The Topeka MSA data shows a total population of
234,566, and our total market area has a population of 371,000. The primary economic activity
is in Shawnee County. The unemployment rate in April, 2014 was 5.3%. The unemployment
rate has been trending downward. The economic conditions are steady and at this present
time there is optimism for a growing economy with three major colleges in the area.
Government and services comprise more than 55% of the Topeka economy with government
employing about 25% of the workforce and the service industry providing 30% of the jobs. 15%
of workers are employed in the retail and wholesale trades. The educational, health and social
services industries utilize the services of 22 % of the population. There are almost 17,500 firms
in Topeka, and 4,500 of them have less than 20 employees (total of 30,000 firms in our market
area). Most of our Topeka clients come from the 4,500 small businesses with less than 20
employees. Add to these quantities the firms and small businesses in the rest of our market
area (and outlying areas) provides us numerous opportunities for mentoring in our area.
Most of the business establishments in the MSA are small businesses, but Fortune 500
companies such as BNSF, Frito-Lay, Inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and
Target employ many people and help stabilize the economy. The target market for our chapter
is working with businesses that are just starting or have less than 20 employees. Our market
involves a rather large area and we count on support from volunteers living in our entire
market area and surrounding areas.
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THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
We have seen a flat trend in clients seeking our services in mentoring and a small increase in
those attending our round tables. There are numerous consultants (business and various
specialties) in the Topeka MSA that provide services that are similar to some of the services we
provide. These organizations or individuals compete from the standpoint of similar services,
but they are at a disadvantage since they charge fees and we do not (except for the
workshops). There is a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Washburn University that
partners with us for mentoring of clients. The SBDC also conducts specialized workshops
(marketing, business plans, cash flow, etc.). Our approach shared with SBDC is to cooperatively
serve the clients in the Topeka MSA (and surrounding areas) and see that each client gets the
help they need. This help could come from SCORE, and/or it could come from SBDC.
We believe we should focus on providing excellent and timely services that are meaningful to
our clients and serve their business needs in all respects. We emphasize to our clients, the
availability of the National SCORE website and online workshops, SBA services, and our own
website. If any of our clients have questions after taking an online workshop, it presents us
with the opportunity to offer additional mentoring.
The following is our view of SCORE’s competitive position in the Topeka MSA from the
standpoint of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).
Strengths
 Team with SDBC to conduct workshops in Washburn’s facility, or utilize our own
resources
 Experienced volunteers with broad coverage of business backgrounds and counseling
skills
 SBDC and Chamber of Commerce office support and services
Weaknesses
 Little knowledge within the MSA community SCORE’s vast array of resources
 Low base of volunteers currently available to meet chapter needs for mentors, leaders,
and administrators
Opportunities
 Pursuit of additional sources of funding to enhance our marketing
 Recruitment of additional clients with more effective SCORE and Chapter websites,
chapter newsletter, and round tables
 Increased support and partnering (SDBC) of workshops by meeting the needs of our
clients
 Recruitment of more volunteers and better training of same
Threats
 Failure to maintain our volunteer membership and capabilities in face of near term
turnover
 Failure to timely mentor clients and to follow-up
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SCORE Strategic Plan
Strategy Description Indicators
S 1.1 Increase awareness of SCORE
• Web Visits
• Brand Awareness Ads
S 1.2 Increase new clients of SCORE through marketing and promotion efforts
• Total New Mentoring Requests via www.score.org
• Total Online Workshop attendees
S 1.3 Increase new clients through local chapter marketing and referral relationship building
• New unique clients
• Number of new local referral relationships
S 1.4 Develop new clients and relationships in underserved markets and existing channels
• Number of new national relationships
• Client Diversity (Race, Ethnicity, Gender)
• Client Demographics (Age, Segment, Geography)
S 1.5 Improve lead-to-client conversions
• Online conversion (website leads to client requests)
• Clients not yet counseled to be counseled
SO2: Improve quality at every level (mentoring, administrative, leadership, recruiting, education/services)
Strategy Description Indicators
S 1.6 Provide quality tools, products and services to meet the needs of the client
• Number of new products, tools and services
• Use National Post-webinar survey
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• SCORE’s resources and tools available helped me. (Client Engagement Survey)
S 1.7 Increase total clients through relationship building
• Percentage of Long-term Client
• One-and-done Client Rate
S 1.8 Develop and disseminate on-going training to improve SCORE services
• Percentage of certified mentors
• Number of new training programs with participation goals
• Did you receive beneficial training from SCORE? (Volunteer Engagement Survey)
S 1.9 Recruit and retain the right volunteers
• Number of new volunteers
• Individual Volunteer NPS
• Diversity
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S 2.0 Identify and cultivate the right volunteer leaders
• Chapter Chair and District Director Questions (Volunteer Engagement Survey)
• Leader SCORE card
S 2.1 Build, align, engage and motivate the National office to anticipate and respond to Stakeholder needs
• Keep SCORE moving in the right direction (Volunteer Engagement Survey)
• Follow-up (Volunteer Engagement Survey)
SO a culture nationwide that supports SCORE’s values, beliefs and the way we act
Strategy Description Indicators
S 2.6 Clearly define and develop understanding of SCORE’s values across the entire organization
• Volunteer Engagement
S 2.7 Create an environment that is consistent with SCORE’s values
• Be able to help every client through either personal mentoring, education, or the right
referral. (Volunteer Engagement Survey)
• Increase diversity of SCORE volunteers
• Use metrics to monitor goals
S 2.8 Create an environment of accountability
• Volunteer Level NPS
• Chapter-level client engagement scores
• Minimum standards met
SO 4 Develop sustainable funding that allows us to achieve our goals
Strategy Description Indicators
S 2.9 Develop multiple private funding channels
• Total funds raised
• % from new channels
S 3.0 Achieve sufficient federal funding to reach goals
• Total funds appropriated to SCORE
S 3.1 Ensure all funds are spent in pursuit of SCORE’s mission
• Form 3 (Changes in chapter cash balances and reported usage of funds by pre-defined
areas/buckets)
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Keys to Success for Our Chapter
To be successful and sustain growth in the services our chapter provides, there are certain
“Critical Success Factors” (CSFs) that must be satisfied. Our CSFs are determining factors of
whether we will see success over the long haul in our marketplace. Our four CSFs are:
1. Recruiting and human resource strengths
 Strong and effective volunteer leadership
 Continuous training and education of all our volunteers
2. Our services reputation
 Service quality and process excellence
 Brand image marketing and image building within the community
3. Capitalizing on current and future computer technology systems and tools
 Maintaining our chapter website and our newsletter
 Reviewing/adopting advanced techniques and procedures from Information Technology
Action Plan
4. Adequate funding
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Chapter Committed Goals for FY2015
Chapter Client Services Goal
2013 2014 2015
Face-to-face mentoring sessions
Online counseling sessions
Workshop attendees
Total Services
Total number of workshops/roundtables to be held
Percentage on follow-up
219
037
149
368
022
043
Chapter Volunteer Diversity
2013 2014 2015
Percent women
Percent African American
Percent Hispanic
017
000
000
Chapter Volunteer Recruiting Goals
2013 2014 2015
Number new volunteers recruited
Number of volunteers resigning from chapter
Net new volunteers
002
002
000
259
010
187
446
012
069
024
000
000
003
003
000
270
030
190
500
014
070
024
001
001
004
002
002
The above goals will be updated for when FY2014 data is complete in the latter part of 2014.
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Longer Term Planning Goals for FY15 and Beyond
Goal 1: Service Quality and Client Satisfaction
1.1. Improve the quality, relevance, and consistency of our products and services
1.2. Develop/execute client needs assessment
1.3. Increase the availability and accessibility of our services
1.4. Leverage the use of other resources/partnerships to meet the client’s total needs
1.5. Enable and ensure long-term client relationships
1.6. Develop a uniform methodology for handling start-up clients in an effort to dominate
that market segment
1.7. Further increase contact with potential clients
1.8. Expand effort to ensure we increase follow-up client activities
Action Plans:
a. Monitor national SCORE website weekly to identify any new “best practices” or “List-Serve”
items that could be adopted by our chapter to improve chapter and/or volunteer
effectiveness
b. Continue to develop and keep current the Topeka SCORE chapter library. This library will
contain books, pamphlets, and reference materials, etc., related to small business. The
library will be available to our mentors to support mentoring, workshops, and
administrative activities. Encourage volunteers to use the public library.
c. Utilize appropriate material from national SCORE’s website to assist with start-up clients.
Examine ways to make the process more uniform and to encourage longer term
relationships with these clients.
d. Orient our volunteers on the small business services that are provided by organizations our
chapter has relationships with in the Topeka MSA. Encourage our volunteers to refer clients
to organizations for help when it is considered in the best interest of the client.
e. Continue to review the chapter client base in CORE and prepare data on the nature and
pattern of client inquiries and needs
Goal 2: Diversity
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To enhance the diversity pattern of our volunteer membership. We are lacking in
membership diversity for representing women and minorities. The longer term goal for
our chapter membership is:
25%
5%
5%
1%
Women
Black/African American
Hispanic
Asian/Other
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To maintain and enhance the diversity of our base of experience and skills for mentoring
and workshop conduct
Goal 3: Volunteers and Leadership Development
 To increase active chapter membership to a level of 25 volunteers. As we build up the
chapter membership, we will continue to encourage each new member to become
involved in multiple chapter functions. Likewise, new members will be offered
opportunities in chapter leadership positions (committee chairs, special assignments,
etc.). This process will provide a cadre of candidates for future chapter officers.
Goal 4: Funding
 To continue our effort to raise funds from private and other sources for use in improving
our chapter’s effectiveness in serving the small business needs in the Topeka service
area. For the near term, our goal is to achieve a continuing funding level of $1,000 to
$2,000 per fiscal year (and maintain current services in kind).
 To achieve a reserve level of $2.500 by adding funds to our reserve each fiscal year.
Guidance from the SCORE Association requires each chapter to have a reserve that
equates to one year in chapter expenses. Our current reserve ($2,200) covers our yearly
expenses.
Strategies/Action Plans (How we are going to do it)
In pursuing these goals, we recognize we must:
2.1. Define, develop, and communicate standards, responsibilities, accountabilities, and
authority in our chapter
2.2. Assure our strategies align with district and national strategic plans
2.3. Establish an ongoing program of leadership and member training, development, and
mentoring
2.4. Identify, recruit, train, and develop potential chapter leaders
2.5. Enhance the desirability of leadership positions and develop succession plans at all
levels
Action Plans:
a. Assess commitment/engagement levels and survey satisfaction levels of our current
membership by face-to-face meetings. Identify candidates for leadership positions
and engage them in chapter management
b. Staff the committees and individual function assignments in our chapter
organization chart
c. Discuss monthly status utilizing CORE to monitor chapter performance vs. chapter
targets and commitments. Review chapter performance at Executive Committee
meetings and monthly chapter membership meetings
d. Conduct mini-training sessions in our monthly chapter meetings. Encourage
members to participate in national SCORE online training. All new members will be
required to complete orientation and training online.
e. Review national SCORE issues in our chapter monthly meetings
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f. Enhance volunteer recruitment with each member’s participation and at such
meetings as Rotary.
g. Review SCORE Association materials on leadership training. Develop an ongoing
training program for chapter members interested in filling leadership positions in
the chapter.
h. Send the chapter chair and vice-chair to National Conference for training.
3.1. Develop and implement a verbal chapter marketing plan with associated programs and
processes utilizing national SCORE’s marketing resources
3.2. Identify and prioritize market segments to increase market penetration
3.3. Increase the brand awareness and image of SCORE to ensure a favorable first
impression
3.4. Expand our alliance and partnerships to increase our community exposure and financial
support
3.5. Review our business plan annually and incorporate appropriate changes
Action Plans:
a. Continue to expand marketing activities at roundtables and joint seminars with
SBDC. Utilize marketing resources available from the SCORE Association
b. Reach out to the Black/African American community and the Hispanic community to
better serve them
c. Understand economic development plans the Topeka MSA and surrounding
communities.
d. Revisit our chapter situation with respect to partnerships and relationships with
other organizations in the Topeka MSA with common interests in the small business
community. Examine ways to strengthen our existing relationships and develop new
relationships that would be of advantage to our chapter.
e. Keep up yearly updating of the chapter business plan .
4. Ensure sustainable financial viability
4.1. Increase our level of funding from non-governmental sources
4.2. Increase government funding from our local and state organizations
4.3. Develop fundraising capabilities within our chapter
4.4. Ensure our financial self-sustainability and self-sufficiency for a 12-month timeframe
4.5. Heed the yearly budget presented to the District
4.6. Continue to exercise prudent financial management and fiduciary accountability
Action Plans:
a. Support the committee chairperson in fundraising ventures.
b. Support a plan for the chapter for fundraising over the long term.
c. Review chapter expenditures over the past year and be frugal with expenses, while
increasing our chapter’s impact on the community.
The above four strategies are applicable to the future of our chapter. The chapter business
plan will be updated yearly.
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SERVICES AND SERVICE DESCRIPTIONS
Topeka SCORE chapter volunteers provide mentoring and training services for clients who want
to start a small business, or clients that have a small business and are having difficulty, or may
want to expand their business and need help. The chapter has an office and the use of
conference rooms in the SBDC and Chamber of Commerce downtown. Our office is not
manned routinely, but a volunteer checks for mail and phone calls almost every day. In
conjunction with the SBA, we provide business information to those that are considering
starting a business and we try to interest them in attending our monthly roundtables so that
they can acquire important baseline data as to what running a small business entails. For those
clients that are in business and have problems, we assign counselor to work with them on a
one-on-one basis. Our process in making these assignments is to provide a counselor that has
expertise to “match-up” with the client’s description of their problem. In some cases, we utilize
team counseling to provide coverage for clients that have multiple business problems. The
location of counseling sessions is jointly decided by the client and the volunteer. Potential
clients have several ways of contacting us: telephone, email, mail, SCORE Association website,
SBA website, and chapter website. Clients can request counseling by going from our chapter
website to SCORE.org. In addition, some of our counselors are registered to do email
counseling and clients contact them thru the SCORE Association website.
We also provide business training services with our workshop (s). In FY2015, we tentatively
plan to conduct two (2) workshops. We schedule these workshops on Saturdays. The
workshop is conducted at a convenient place, usually at Washburn Tech.
Also, the chapter helps conduct workshops at Fort Riley when help is requested by SBA, and
conducts no-fee workshops in conjunction with community events involving small business.
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MARKETING PLAN
Our marketing effort is oriented to cover three areas, we market to:
1. Enhance the name recognition of SCORE in our operating area
2. Acquire more clients for counseling and workshops
3. Acquire new volunteers
Our marketing chairperson will utilize the SCORE Chapter Marketing Guide and associated
marketing materials to assist in developing and operating our chapter marketing program. We
will review and use the other marketing materials that are available and down-loadable from
our SCORE’s website. Since we are limited on budget for purposes of marketing, we must
decide where to put emphasis in FY2015 on advertising our counseling and workshop services.
We will decide to what extent we will do media advertising. We will examine use of the
internet utilizing the capabilities of Constant Contact, our newsletter, website and roundtable
meetings.
We plan to continue our outreach activities in the Topeka area. We will continue in our efforts
to enhance our relationships with the Hispanic and Black communities. We will respond to
requests from High Schools for help needed in their student entrepreneurship programs. We
will be involved in supporting YEK (Young Entrepreneurs of Kansas) with a business plan
overview. We will be looking for other way to further engage in community activities that will
broaden the name recognition of SCORE. Most of the above marketing involves the Shawnee
county area.
A strong marketing chairperson and operating plans for marketing are essential to our success
in building up our client base, acquiring our goals for workshop clients, and in acquiring new
volunteers to meet our membership goals.
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OPERATIONS PLAN
Our chapter has the traditional SCORE Association organization for chapter; we have an elected
Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, who are the chapter officers and also the principal
members of the chapter executive committee. Our chapter is organized to perform the intent
of the SCORE Operating Manual (SOM) with regard to committee functions. For several years
we have been unable to staff the committee structure that is called for in the SOM. In
accordance with the chapter bylaws, the chapter chair may name other members to the
executive committee, with the approval of the chapter. In FY2015, our chapter chair named
three additional members to participate in in the executive committee. Most of our chapter
functions and operations are focused around the executive committee. We expect this
situation to continue until we can build up chapter membership. With the addition of sufficient
new members in the near future, it will be our plan to have three principal committees:
marketing, workshop and recruiting; the rest of the committee functions will be performed by
individual assignment. As we build up the chapter membership (as targeted by the recruitment
plan), we plan to reorganize and add more committees.
In a normal situation, our succession plan is as follows: if a chapter officer must vacate his/her
position before the term is completed, leadership succession will occur as follow:
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If the chapter chair is unable to serve, the chapter vice-chair shall assume the position
until the chapter chair is able to resume his/her duties.
If both the chapter chair and the chapter vice-chair are unable to serve, the chapter
executive committee shall coordinate as appropriate with the district director and
appoint an interim chapter chair and commence the nominating process as outlined in
the chapter bylaws and hold a special election.
If a vacancy occurs in the position of chapter secretary or chapter treasurer, the chapter
chair will appoint a chapter member to the position until the individual is able to resume
his/her position.
Recruitment of qualified new volunteers is vital to overall viability of our chapter. We can
expect a fairly high turnover in membership; national SCORE statistics indicate that the average
volunteer offers services for 6 to 7 years. So we need to not only recruit mentors, but also,
volunteer administrators.
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FINANCIAL PLAN
This section includes financial assumptions and comments, along with our fundraising plans,
and our plans for chapter reserve. There are two major assumptions associated with our
FY2015 financial plan:
1. Our chapter will continue to be located in the SBDC at no cost, and the accommodations
and services provided by the Chamber of Commerce and Washburn Tech will be
continued,
2. Our chapter will be successful in meeting our goal on number of workshop clients
served and in establishing new sources of funds, while being prudent in spending.
If we continue to be frugal with our expenses, and conduct fundraising, we should meet our
financial requirements in FY2015.
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