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How SCORE helped.

“When I first met with SCORE mentor Melvin Maiman, an attorney,” Hewett recalled, “we had a business plan, a model by which to operate. But I needed a sounding board and a counselor to challenge me, play devil's advocate, and make sure what I am doing makes sense.” He also had specific questions about engaging clients.

How Did Your Business Get Started?

SCORE client Hewett Chiu is a serial entrepreneur in the nonprofit sector. He started ChiuGroup, a social impact strategy management consulting and asset development firm, in 2012. ChiuGroup targets smaller and mid-size clients from non-profit, public and private sectors who have a social mission but can’t afford to hire a management consulting firm. They help clients on a range of issues from how to expand an idea, tell their social impact story, to helping with organizational development.

Prior to ChiuGroup, he cofounded the Academy of Medical & Public Health Services (AMPHS), a U.S. top-rated nonprofit health system that services vulnerable families in New York in 2010. He now serves as its Chairman of the Board and President/CEO.

Melvin looked over everything from a legal perspective, including contracts, insurance, liabilities. He also helped the ChiuGroup revise their billing structure to better reflect the value they deliver for clients. More recently, he brought in another SCORE mentor, Leonard Springer, to advise on a potential international client engagement.

“A lot of factors go into the success of an organization, and they are not just financial,” says Hewett. “SCORE and Melvin have had a huge impact on my business. He is always open to ideas and has constantly pushed us to drive our business to grow.”