Provided by SCORE Bucks County:
Credit: SCORE Bucks County
A dozen SCORE Bucks County members volunteered their time and talents mentoring veterans with disabilities in a “Shark Tank” style race to create and pitch a sellable business plan.
The week-long competition, which was held at St. Joseph’s University as part of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, concluded with an entrepreneur’s venture being judged as tops among the 20 student contenders.
Vicki Brown, a new SCORE Bucks County member and owner of Harmony Clean, Inc. in Doylestown, mentored two aspiring business owners. One of the participants he wanted to support his wife’s vision to open a nail salon.
“He said he wanted to find out what he didn’t know,” Brown said, adding that he came with a business plan in hand. “He was so well-prepared.”
Nick Nowatney’s preparation apparently paid off. Nowatney won first place in the competition and received $5,000 toward his business, a high-end nail salon that he and his wife will run in Omaha, Nebraska.
Brown helped the other contender, a student at St. Joseph’s University, with a plan for an athletic clothing line that would react to a muscle group while working out.
“I was thrilled and honored that they valued my time,” Brown said. “I was humbled by the fact that they did their research from Sunday night to Monday on top of all the other things they’re cramming in their brain.”
SCORE Bucks County mentors also helped entrepreneurs Parish Morris and Fred Smith develop a business plan which ultimately led to a third-place finish in the competition.
SCORE Bucks County member Joe Lutes, an accountant whose background is in financing and investing, said the “Shark Tank” style mentoring “excited” many of the chapter’s members and compelled them to help. A reservist during the Vietnam War, Lutes said, “the more I can help, the better.”
Credit: SCORE Bucks County
Lutes was paired with a student interested in developing a seatbelt for older children who don’t want to sit in a booster seat.
“It’s actually a pretty good idea,” Lutes said. “We’re helping them and they’re seeing that there’s hope … There’s people who care about them.”
SCORE Bucks County member Gene Wills, a Vietnam War veteran, mentored two Iraq War veterans in an hour as part of the competition.
Wills focused more on the contenders’ background than the idea. Win or lose, he said was committed to helping them see their ideas to fruition.
“My focus on counseling someone is to understand them before counseling them,” Wills said. “Once you understand your clients’ need then you can assign a value. It’s not important what you think you need. It’s about what the clients need.”
