Honored to Sponsor the 2026 Ventura County SCORE Small Business Recognition & Award Celebration - The Final Code

2026 Ventura County SCORE · Awards Night

Small Business Recognition & Award Celebration

The Mentor Mentoring small business forward · 2026

The Sponsor Where vision becomes digital reality

On This Page

Our Personal Story

Why We Did This

Let's be honest. Most business owners can't handle THE TRUTH. Not at first. We sure couldn't. The truth is uncomfortable. It exposes the mistakes, the ego, the shortcuts you thought would work. When our SCORE mentor Dan Frederickson started pointing those out, it was like getting hit with a mirror we didn't want to look into.

You can't handle the truth. That's what this moment was about. Not the slogan, not the sponsorship. THE TRUTH. Facing it, owning it, and growing from it.

SCORE set us up with a mentor — Dan Frederickson — and he didn't tell us what we wanted to hear. He told us what we needed to hear. And that changed everything. The easy path is running away when the truth hurts. The powerful path is staying, listening, learning, and rebuilding. That's what we did.

Because the truth doesn't break you. The truth stretches you. It stretches your limits and forces you to become someone who can finally handle it.

We sponsored this because every business that survives learns that same lesson. Strength comes from facing reality head-on, from realizing that two heads really are better than one.

Meet Dan Frederickson first — that's how the night actually ran. Then hit play on the song. Or, if you want the long version, watch our full story. Either way, you'll see what happens when you stop avoiding the truth, and start proving you can handle it.

Next: Dan Frederickson

The Community

Small business owners, mentors, and the people behind the curtain.

Our Mentor

Dan Frederickson. The Man Who Told Us The Truth.

None of this happens without Dan Frederickson. Former President of Kinko's Service Corporation, and a musician early in life. That combination shaped our story in a way we didn't see coming.

SCORE pairs business owners with mentors. Dan Frederickson was ours. The insight. The hard calls. The patience. We started meeting once a week, and over time it grew to twice a week. Two years in now, still going strong, and we love every minute of it.

That's the part we want people to hear. You can't give up too quick. The ugly truth shows up first, and then, slowly, the wins start sprinkling in. That's the whole point of having a mentor who will tell you the truth.

About the song coming up next. We did it that way because Dan Frederickson has a real music background and a serious love for music. It only felt right to introduce this story in a way he'd connect with. If you love the song, thank Dan Frederickson. We wouldn't have been on that stage without him.

Now hit play on the song below.

Next: The Song

The Musical Intro · The Final Code

We Wrote A Song About All Of It

This is the track we played to open the night — the abbreviated version of our story, set to music. Two minutes covering how we started, who helped, and why we ended up on that stage. When you're ready for the full version, jump down to the full story.

Event Night

Every plaque starts at a table like this.

SCORE recognition plaque awarded to The Final Code for sponsoring the 2026 Ventura County SCORE Awards — The Plaque

The Sponsor · Proud to Support SCORE

20 Years of Hard Work. Proud to Sponsor SCORE.

The Final Code was proud to sponsor the 2026 Ventura County SCORE Awards. For more than 20 years, Larry Murphy has built this company around custom software programming and web application development — serving companies from Fortune 500 names down to the smallest shops in town. We freelance into whatever delivers the biggest benefit for the customer. Where we flex the creative side? digital marketing.

Even after two decades, Larry still wanted an outside perspective. The best operators keep sharpening. SCORE delivered that — with the mentor Dan Frederickson.

The plaque on the wall is simply SCORE's way of saying thank you for the sponsorship. It'll go up next to the rest of the awards, right where it belongs.

What I Learned From SCORE A lot of people need help, but they give up on themselves too easy. They give up on the person trying to help them the second that help gets honest. So they go back to the grind, bleed their souls dry, and keep chasing the same perspective that got them stuck in the first place. A fresh perspective is really important. That's the whole point of this.

Next: The Full Story

The Presentation We Gave

The Full Story

This is the full presentation we gave on stage. Can you handle the truth? SCORE, Dan Frederickson, the sponsorship, and why we plan to keep showing up — all in one place. When you're ready, meet the honorees.

Next: Meet With SCORE

SCORE Ventura County mentors gathered at a chapter event

2026 SCORE District Chapter of the Year award, Ventura County — 2026 Chapter of the Year

For Anyone Running a Business

You Don't Have to Do This Alone

SCORE mentors meet with small business owners every week, for free, in Ventura County. They will sit down with you, look at what you're doing, and tell you the truth about it. It's that simple — and it's that rare.

You won't walk out with every problem solved in one meeting. You will walk out knowing where the choke point is. That's where growth starts. Every business on this page has been through some version of that conversation. So have we.

If you are brand new in business, or brand new to SCORE — start here.

Meet a SCORE Mentor Next: Talk To Us

From The Final Code

The Willingness To Accept The Truth

“The willingness to accept the truth is what will help you be successful — and it's why we plan to keep showing up.”

— The Final Code

If your business needs marketing, a better website, or honest help figuring out where A.I. fits in, let's talk. We will tell you the truth, and we will help you do something about it. Learn more at TheFinalCode.com.

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or call or text us 805.243.8321