When Andrew and Ben Balzer wanted to take their two-toned sweatshirt business to the next level, they reached out to a free program run by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

That’s where they met Kaye Kloster, a mentor with the program, who walked them through record keeping and how to elevate their Bend business to more profitability.

“She helped us learn how to track the business with numbers,” said Andrew Balzer, co-owner of Sendr Brand sweatshirts. “This really helped us launch our business.”

The brothers were able to double their sweatshirt business projections from about 3,000 sweatshirts a year to their new projection of 6,000 to 7,000, said Balzer, 22. What’s more, one of the mentors they worked with helped them connect with a supplier who then was hired to make the sweatshirts, rather than them sewing themselves.

Now Sendr Brand has a warehouse and can focus on the marketing and growth side of the business. A big part of the business is YouTube videos and social media.

Setting the stage

Called SCORE by the Small Business Administration, the Central Oregon chapter is one of 200 volunteer chapters stretching across the country helping startup businesses.

The Central Oregon chapter is in need of additional mentors, particularly women, from the community who are willing to offer their expertise for free.

Oregon mentors helped 462 businesses last year get off the ground, said Jim Darcey, Central Oregon SCORE chapter chairman. Each month the Central Oregon chapter averages 70 requests for mentoring a month, Darcey said.

“More help is needed to accommodate the increased demand,” Darcey said. “Anyone who has owned a business, or held a high-level management position, has knowledge and skills that would be invaluable in mentoring those starting or growing a business.”

Mentors work up to four to five hours a week. Some are retired. Some still work.

Kloster has been a mentor volunteer for nine years. A former sales and marketing manager who knows her way around a profit and loss statement, Kloster said she enjoys sharing her knowledge.

“We really need to recruit more female mentors,” Kloster said. “Women communicate differently than men, so their manner when with clients can sometimes be the best approach.”

She’s worked with physical therapists starting out on their own, midwives and nonprofits.

Ed Weiser, a mentor for 10 years, said he’s found working with new businesses rewarding. Currently, he’s working with the owners of the new Asian market in Bend, Tomi Mart.

“Every day I feel privileged to be trusted with a glimpse into my clients’ businesses and lives,” Weiser said. “Many of the ideas and strategies I share stem from the collective wisdom I’ve gained through working with other clients facing similar challenges.

“It’s a continuous cycle of paying it forward — creating moments that often feel almost magical.”

Mentoring over time

The goal of the program is to build long-term relationships with start-up business owners and the mentors, Darcey said.

Mentors meet over video platforms or in person, he said. And since the regional office spans from Central Oregon to the Rogue Valley, there’s a lot of room for growth.

“The key to mentoring is you need to have enough management experience that helps you work with a client to build a business,” Darcey said. “You need sufficient breadth and depth of a business knowledge.”

Sometimes a mentor may not have all the knowledge, but that’s where the network across the country can help, Kloster said.

“I have a good grasp of the basics, but what’s great is the experience we have built up across the country,” said Kloster. “The strength of our organization is the variety of business experience we come to the table with.”

Bend’s first Asian market aims to fulfill unmet community need

Bend’s first Asian market aims to fulfill unmet community need

When the owners of Tomi Mart, Jesi Scott and Natasha Dempsey, contacted the program, Weiser tapped into the network of mentor volunteers for expertise in the grocery business.

After two years of running pop up stores, the partners found the right location to open their Asian market on Third Street and Reed Market Road. The store opened in June.

“SCORE was an integral part of helping us along with the Small Business Development Center,” Scott said. “We continue to use them as resources to map out the layout of the store, we got advice on ordering, stocking and merchandising.”

The goal was always to have a brick and mortar location, Dempsey said. The mentors helped the partners formulate questions they didn’t even know to ask, Dempsey said.

“It was always important to us to open the store,” Scott said. “The mentors gave us forward thinking on issues and questions that we didn’t think to ask. Their industry knowledge was invaluable.”

How to volunteer as a mentor

Want to volunteer at the SCORE Central Oregon chapter? Contact Jim Darcey at 541 316 0662 or go to the website, www.score/centraloregon.org.