When John Sheehan was starting out as a business owner of
his software and data processing company, he did not have a mentor to guide him
in financing and other aspects of running a business.
“I could have used one,” said Sheehan, of Newtown. “I
thought I knew everything. I launched the company. When you’re alone, you’re
the chief. You’re everything all at once.”
Entrepreneurs still wear many (and sometimes all) hats. But,
unlike when Sheehan was venturing out several decades ago, small business
owners in Bucks County have had him to turn to for mentoring support,
especially as it relates to startup businesses, constructing a business plan,
initial public offering (IPO) preparation, acquisitions/mergers and exit
strategies.
Sheehan, one of the longest-standing SCORE Bucks County
mentors, has served the chapter for more than 20 years. In that time, he
estimates that he has mentored between 1,000 and 1,200 clients.
“I love business. I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life,”
he said. “People when they want to get started with a business, don’t know the
business of doing business.”
That’s where Sheehan comes in. The former president and CEO
of Princeton, N.J.-based National Computer Analysts, Sheehan led the company
merger with Mtech Corporation, serving as president of Mtech Northeast until
its acquisition by Electronic Data Systems. Although he does not like to use
the word “retired,” he did just that at age 55. Afterward, he and his wife
spent the next two or three years traveling to Europe and South America and
purchasing a winter home in Boca Raton, Fla.
In January 2003, Sheehan officially joined SCORE Bucks
County as a mentor. He brings a keen ear for listening, coupled with vast
real-world experience to his clients’ mentoring sessions.
“This is my job. It’s what I do. It’s my way of giving back,”
Sheehan said. “I like the challenge of meeting someone with stars in their eyes
and they want to do the business. I say, ‘I’m going to advise you and tell you
how to do it.’ I never discourage them. I encourage them very much. If they
don’t want to proceed any further, they’ll be the ones to decide.”
Sheehan has guided countless entrepreneurs over the years, including
two former New York Yankees players.
“They wanted to start a batting cage operation,” Sheehan
recalled. “They knew everything about baseball, but not enough about business.”
After Sheehan helped them with a business plan, the venture
took off and became successful.
Like other SCORE mentors, Sheehan provides mentoring for as
long as his clients seek it, for the life of their business. But, even after
the mentoring concludes, he still makes himself available.
“I will check back in six months or a year to see how
they’re doing,” he said. “I take an interest in what they’re doing.”
Sheehan strives to mentor seven or eight clients at a time.
Even without compensation for a typical career, he takes his work very
seriously.
“I don’t consider it a pastime. It’s a career,” Sheehan said
of his role with SCORE. “I get great satisfaction out of it. We kid each other.
We say, ‘the pay is great.’”
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more
than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business
mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small
businesses.?With more than 70 members across Bucks and Eastern Montgomery
counties, SCORE Bucks?County?provides over 4,300 free
mentoring services annually to local small business owners
through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. To stay up to
date on news and happenings, join SCORE Bucks County’s email list. Text
SCOREBUCKS to 22828.
