Free Counseling from SCORE

1. SCORE has the capability of right now counseling.

2. SCORE counselors are volunteers. They love to share their experiences with those starting out. Since they do not need salaries and often pay their own expenses, the cost of the counseling is zero.

3. SCORE has a process for linking counselors with nationwide needs. Folks can go to Ask Score on www.score.org and be matched with a counselor who knows their field. They can see resumes and locations. Some people do not want a local counselor. Others specifically do.

4. Most requests for email counseling originate between midnight and five AM. Many SCORE counselors wake up in the middle of the night and answer these requests.

5. Email counseling allows people wherever they are to have related counseling right now.

6. SCORE has contacts with evolving new funding sources.

7. SCORE can do things right now 24/7. There are SCORE offices open 24/7. Other counselors, operating from their homes can do things right now because calls come to their homes.

8. SCORE counselors have themselves started many successful and unsuccessful businesses.

9. SCORE does not have the time or resources to deal with technical details and refers clients to resources such as SBDC and WBC that do have the time and skills and paid staff. SCORE does a concept and business plan and outsources the rest. A great new feature is that SBA now has a smartphone app for obtaining other resources right now.

10. There is a five step counseling process. Each counselor is empowered to handle a case in whatever way works best for him/her and the client.

11. Each SCORE counselor is different. That is an asset of SCORE. Clients come to SCORE not for its organizational operation but because of individual counselors. Counselors are recommended by name. The email matching allows clients to choose which counselor or counselors they want.