SCORE Mentors Help Virtual Assistant Transition to Business Owner

Following in the footsteps of her entrepreneur father and grandfather, Kristin Dulaney had been waiting for the “big idea” behind her would-be business.

Then she had a lightbulb moment.

“I don’t think I’m the ideas person,” Dulaney said. “I really am the right-hand woman for the ideas person.”

Owner of Indianapolis-based Mercury Business Solutions, Dulaney, as a virtual assistant, helps business owners manage the administration behind their entrepreneurial ventures to provide them with much-needed time to focus on their business.

A former paralegal, project manager and administrative assistant for a law firm, Dulaney, of the Crown Hill neighborhood in Marion County, launched her business – as a side gig – in May 2023 with one client. She built the business up with additional clients, enabling her to leave her full-time job at the end of the year.

In September 2023, the Anderson native began mentoring with SCORE Indianapolis volunteer mentor Timothy Martin and later, the chapter’s chairman, Tom Morgan, began mentoring her as well.

“The biggest benefit I have gotten is it helps me step out of being a service provider and step into being a business owner,” she said of SCORE mentoring. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs, but the landscape of my venture is different.”

Her father ran a technical support company, Mercury Technical Solutions, while her grandfather owned a liquor store. For Dulaney, the company name is “symbolism within Mercury being closest to the sun,” aligning with her serving as the right hand to small business owners.

Her venture has made positive strides already in a short time, allowing her to onboard an associate recently. Her SCORE mentor provided insight related to hiring.

“I had a very deep conversation with Tim earlier this year about what the timing would look like to add an associate,” Dulaney said. “We talked about circumstances for when it would make sense and when it would not. The stars aligned. The finances were right. I knew that this would be a good decision because of the prep work that I had done with Tim.”

Mercury Business Solutions is split between undertaking administrative tasks for solopreneurs and small business owners; and “higher complexity work” supporting psychologists working in the legal field who are called on to be expert witnesses.

For the latter, Dulaney relies on her paralegal background and understanding of how cases are structured to assist clients in writing reports for court proceedings. She’s also strategically exploring expanding her business into serving additional types of expert witnesses.

Dulaney works remotely, enabling her to serve clients anywhere.

Martin, who has been a SCORE mentor for nearly 10 years, said Dulaney stands out as among the top 10 percent of business owners he’s mentored since retiring after 26 years from Pepsi, where he served in various leadership roles, including financial, technical and acquisition.

“I’d hire her in a heartbeat,” Martin said. “She’s incredibly organized. She’s very focused … She’s moving along, moving fast to the rate she wants to be at.”

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 17 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops, and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide. With more than 70 members throughout the Indianapolis area, SCORE Indianapolis provides nearly 3,000 mentoring services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business workshops. For more information about starting or operating a small business, or finding a mentor, visit SCORE Indianapolis at www.score.org/indianapolis.