Jerry Hoffman is one of our most experienced mentors at SCORE Houston with a distinguished career in sales, marketing, and the fashion industry—designing and manufacturing clothing from women's leather jackets to men's sweaters, managing nationwide sales teams, and developing marketing campaigns. But here's what makes Jerry exceptional: he and Raj Mashruwala have mentored over 65 entrepreneurs into successful businesses across diverse industries, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, skincare, med spas, and wellness businesses. In conversation with PV Bala, Jerry reveals the practical, street-smart strategies that have helped dozens of Houston entrepreneurs succeed:

→ The 20-call rule - Why calling 20 businesses outside Houston transforms startup success
→ Inventory management - The #1 mistake that kills new product businesses
→ Value propositions - How to convince customers to choose YOU over competitors
→ Consignment strategy - Testing products without risk (brilliant for new brands)
→ Listening to customers - Real stories of pivots that turned failures into million-dollar businesses
→ Digital vs traditional marketing - What still matters in the age of AI

Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes.

Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com