"It always helps to talk to someone with experience who can help you set goals and find the best way to achieve them. Dave gave me the confidence to do what was necessary to manage my business's growth, not be overwhelmed by it."

Dr. Devona E.G. Williams, Founder and Owner, Goeins-Williams Associates Inc.

Although many clients have affectionately nicknamed Devona "The Teacher" for her knowledge and ability to connect with diverse groups, she found herself at a loss for answers after 1998 when her one-person firm, Goeins-Williams Associates, experienced a major growth spurt. Billings jumped by 140 percent, and Devona saw her time and attention being stretched to the limit. "I had made some very detailed plans for how I wanted my business to grow," she recalls. "Everything was working; it was just happening much faster than I had expected."

Devona had long known about SCORE and decided it was time to enlist their help. She met with Volunteer Counselor Dave Milling, the former CEO and owner of a major paper products company. Devona laid out her issues and ideas, then asked Dave for his reaction. "Dave agreed that I was making the right moves, but he also had some ideas for things I hadn't considered," Devona says. "It felt good having someone with his experience validate what I was doing. But more important, he provided a fresh, objective look at how I was implementing my plans."

Many issues revolved around Devonas' time, which was increasingly at a premium. Dave suggested that she find an accountant to manage her bookkeeping and administrative work, and hire a staff member to assist with training and customer service tasks. These moves allowed Devona to devote more of her time to business development.

Then there was the matter of office space. With more and more clients looking to Goeins-Williams Associates for help, its current location was simply not big enough. Devona's initial goal was to find a larger office with a lease-back option. Opportunity knocked when she discovered a beautiful 3,000-square foot twin-townhouse office for sale in a historic part of Wilmington. Drawing on Dave's extensive knowledge of financing processes and procedures, Devona was able to arrange a reasonable mortgage for the building, which would provide an ideal location for her operations, selected focus group and training activities, and future expansion.

"I was so proud the day I invited Dave over to my new office," Devona said. "He had not only suggested that I buy a building, but also played a key role in helping me secure an ideal location."

Thanks to Dave's advice, Goeins-Williams Associates is poised to enhance its services to public- and private-sector organizations throughout the Delaware Valley region and beyond. The company also sells training materials and other organizational development resources to customers across the U.S via an e-commerce site, which includes a link to Goeins-Williams' own Web page. A recent article in the Wilmington News-Journal, Delaware's largest newspaper, spotlighted Devona and her role in assisting area corporations and agencies.

Having implemented the steps that will accommodate her company's growth, Devona is hard at work at Dave's other recommendations. They include becoming an 8(a)-certified business, settling some lingering financial issues, and forming an advisory council to help steer the company's future. Williams has already reserved a spot on that council for her SCORE counselor.

And although Williams wishes she had called on SCORE years earlier, she's making up for lost time by using the organization's Web site, seminars, and other small business resources. "I've always held the SCORE organization in high regard, and Dave has more than validated my expectations," she says. "He's become more than a business counselor. I consider him a friend."

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."
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