Are you looking for someone who can offer guidance and support as you get ready to move forward with your dream of entrepreneurship? Whether you’re trying to decide if going into business for yourself is right for you or if you are already running your own business, you’ll be excited to learn about the Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the valuable – and free – services the organization can offer to potential small business owners.

SCORE Mentor Program

Perhaps the most well known and important benefit of SCORE is the free mentor program that the organization offers. SCORE matches retired executives who want to volunteer their time with people just like you. The volunteers are willing and able to help small business owners and people thinking about becoming entrepreneurs who need assistance from people who have first hand knowledge of what it’s like to launch and operate a company.

SCORE mentors can provide many types of assistance to small business owners, including assisting with the process of drafting a business plan, providing business operations advice encompassing every aspect of running a company, including sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and more. It’s up to you to reach out for this no-cost, confidential assistance opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Through SCORE, you can connect with a virtual mentor or make arrangements to meet with a local volunteer face-to-face, depending on your particular needs and program participant availability. If you like the idea of a virtual mentor, simply visit SCORE.org and enter key words that are descriptive of the type of business you are planning to start or specific to the kind of assistance you are hoping to get. If you’d rather meet with someone in your local area, simply enter your zip code to be matched with an appropriate mentor.

Online SCORE Resources

Additionally, there are a wealth of free resources on the SCORE website that provide guidance for people thinking about becoming entrepreneurs – as well as those who have already made the leap. Available resources include free business workshops and podcasts on topics of interest to entrepreneurs, numerous document templates that can provide small business owners with a head start on paperwork and tracking procedures, a interesting and informative variety of business quizzes, and more.

You can also subscribe to receive free e-newsletters from SCORE. Opt to receive the SCORE eNews or the SCORE Expert Answers publication, or sign up for both. Each newsletter is published and distributed monthly.