ENTREPRENEURIAL HELPING HAND—Above left, Business of the Year winners Dillon Brooks and Ivan Torres from Thousand Oaks -based Primary Pool Services with SCORE volunteer mentor Dan Frederickson (middle). Above right, Excellence in Technology award winner Denice Wharton, owner of Camarillo-based Your Suma, with her SCORE mentor, Larry Willett. Courtesy SCORE Ventura
It’s well known in business that 80% of small entrepreneur shops fail within the first five years of starting up. But small businesses can chart a different course with the right kind of tutelage and mentorship, said representatives from SCORE (formerly Service Corps of Retired Executives) at the organization’s annual awards banquet Oct. 23 in Thousand Oaks.
The Ventura County Chapter of SCORE recognized 10 local small businesses for outstanding achievement during the past year.
“Studies have shown that if you get counseling from SCORE you are three times more likely to succeed more than five years,” SCORE’s Western Region vice president Scott Anderson told guests.
“There are so many mistakes that you can make that can be avoided if you talk to someone who understands businesses.”
Anderson reminded listeners that 65% of the United States gross domestic product is generated by the country’s 32 million small businesses.
“Small businesses create more patents than all the other companies combined,” he said, “and we believe they are so vital to our economy and to our communities.”
Yet, the federally-funded, small business assistance program that is free to entrepreneurs remains “the best kept secret” around, Anderson said.
The value of SCORE guidance is no secret to sisters Ava and Jenna Plasmyer, whose Darlin’ Swimwear company out of Ventura won a Business of the Year Award.
“To know we had guidance on every level of this journey, for free, is amazing,” Ava Plasmyer said. “There is no question I’m not too embarrassed to ask.”
Plasmyer’s SCORE mentor, Danielle Malconian, said: “Ava has seen her sales grow exponentially since 2022. In just the past year her monthly revenue has skyrocketed and her viral social media campaigns together with the expansion of her product line have contributed to her success.”
“At SCORE we pride ourselves on creating relationships with entrepreneurs,” Malconian said.
Other award winners for achievement in specific categories were Camarillo business Soul and Savor for New Product Launch of the Year; Santa Clarita-based Moriah Medical College for Distinguished Community Impact; Westlake Village business Sirta Solutions for Outstanding Small Business Innovation; and two Ventura businesses—Truly Force Free Animal Training for Excellence in Community Service, and BruinShack for Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Recent UCLA graduate Danny Tang, 26, started the BruinShack online platform to help students find off-campus housing.
The Camarillo-based company, Your Suma, headed by Denice Wharton, won the Excellence in Technology Award.
OMG Women Outreaching Women from Los Angeles won for Distinguished Community Impact, and Turn the Pages Online headed by Kevin Withers of Camarillo was named Startup of the Year.
Withers created a platform that improves the way organizations present their publications by replacing static PDFs and costly print materials with interactive, secure and user-friendly digital applications.
A second Business of the Year Award went to the Thousand Oaks company,
A second Business of the Year Award went to the Thousand Oaks company, Primary Pool Services, co-founded by lifelong friends Dillon Brooks and Ivan Torres. In just two years the duo grew their company to serve more than 180 weekly clients with a team of seven employees and a fleet of six trucks.
SCORE volunteer Dan Frederickson began mentoring the company in 2022.
“Dan and SCORE have been an essential part of our business journey in expanding the business,” Brooks said.”
For he past 60 years SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow, or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide expert mentoring, resources, and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. SCORE Ventura County is staffed by 45 mentors who advise clients in areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, accounting and staffing. For more information about starting or operating a small business, go to SCORE Ventura at score.org/ventura.
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