Dr. Dolly Garnecki is a chiropractic physician and CEO of Spinal Health & Wellness. She is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. In September 2011, she received the Outstanding Veteran-Owned Small Business from SCORE (www.score.org). Since 1964, over 9 million entrepreneurs have been mentored by SCORE or have attended SCORE workshops. With 364 offices for face-to-face mentoring and Ask SCORE for online advice, SCORE serves the needs of today’s entrepreneurs.

Garnecki’s Advice for small business entrepreneurs:

1. Keep overhead low. Gradually let it increase as your business grows, at a pace you can maintain.

2. Learn every aspect of every job in your business: So you can successfully train and set expectations because you know the inside-out details of the job.

3. For the tasks and projects you can’t support with payroll or effectively manage (due to lack of skill or expertise), hire out to sub-contractors, or negotiate trade agreements to secure the services you need from your preferred providers.

4. Seek out a business support team of colleagues and mentors to help you in your areas of weakness. SCORE is a great resource for start-ups that need help with crafting a business or marketing plan. And it’s completely free.

5. In addition to SCORE, get involved with organizations in your community that support your industry, profession, and/or entrepreneurship, such as your regional Chamber of Commerce or innovation and business advocacy groups.

6. When I went to a chiropractic college to learn how to become a physician, I didn’t learn the details of launching and maintaining a business. The biggest lesson learned has been to know when and who to ask for help. It’s a learning process – and part of that education comes from calling upon colleagues (other physicians, business professionals) to ask for help in areas where I lacked expertise.