SCORE
Service Corps of Retired Executives

Most SCORE volunteers are retired; however, full-time, employed executives are also eligible for membership. About 20 percent of SCORE's membership is still employed.

Helping American small businesses to prosper has been SCOREs goal since the program began in 1964. SCORE volunteers are members of 389 locally organized, self-administered chapters offering services in more than 800 locations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

They work in or near their home communities to provide management counseling and training to small businesses and to those considering going into business. Every effort is made to match a clients needs with a counselor experienced in a comparable line of business. SCORE counseling is provided without charge; there is a nominal fee for training programs.

Through in-depth counseling and training, SCORE volunteers help business owners and managers identify basic management problems, determine the causes and become better managers. SCORE counseling also can help successful firms review their distribution channels, evaluate expansion, modify products and meet other business challenges.

Management counseling takes place either at a clients business, at an SBA field office or a SCORE chapter location. Counselors analyze each business and its problems, and offer suggestions, ways and means whereby a client can successfully correct problems or institute changes to his or her business.

SCORE also offers pre-business workshops as well as a variety of other workshops nationwide to present and prospective small business entrepreneurs. These workshops take place in local communities and provide a general overview of what it takes to start a business.

Almost any small independent business not dominant in its field can get help from SCORE. The approach is confidential and person-to-person. Business clients don't need to have an SBA loan to participate. In fact, they don't even need to have a business. Consultation and counseling before a business start-up is an important part of the service.

To locate the SCORE office nearest you, click on the 800 locations above or call 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or (202) 205-7064 (FAX). For the hearing impaired, the TDD number is (202) 205-7333.

In order to seek counseling and advice, you may download a SCORE Request For Counseling Form (SBA Form 641) and take it to your nearest SCORE Counselor at one of over 800 locations or under a new pilot program, fill-out an online version of the same form on SBA's Web Server and submit it to a SCORE official who will process your request.

All of SBA's programs and services are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis.