Translate
SCORE can help you start, grow or successfully exit a business. Small business owners who receive three or more hours of mentoring report higher revenues and increased growth. Enter your ZIP code to find a free SCORE business mentor today.
Featured Success Story
A Sweet Success
Tonyia Smith of Silver Slice Bakery has transformed her lifelong passion for baking into a thriving business. Starting from her home kitchen, Tonyia's dedication to high-quality, gluten-free treats has won the hearts of many. Through SCORE mentorship, she navigated financial planning and expanded her operations. Discover how Tonyia's commitment to delicious, health-conscious baking has built a loyal customer base and set a new standard in the gluten-free baking industry.
Disaster Recovery and Preparation Resources
Navigating Business Challenges with SCORE
At SCORE, we understand the severe challenges that disasters, economic downturns and catastrophic events can impose on your business.
SCORE offers comprehensive checklists to prepare you for various weather-related events, including tornadoes, hurricanes, winter weather and earthquakes.
Additionally, you can connect with SCORE mentors who can assist you in creating a robust emergency or recovery plan, ensuring your business is well-prepared for any future challenges.
The Startup Roadmap: Your Guide to Successfully Starting a Business
SCORE offers free online learning: Our self-paced learning provides an opportunity for you to learn valuable business skills.
Getting Started with
E-commerce
The Getting Started with Small Business eCommerce learning course guides your journey from brick and mortar to click and order.
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Startup Basics
If you’re thinking about starting your own business, this module will teach you the basics. You will learn whether business ownership is right for you.
Online Marketing for Small Business Owners
How to brand your business, top tips for choosing the right domain name, best practices for building your website and ways to leverage social media for growth.
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Marketing Plan
In this module, you’ll learn how to market your business by doing a competitive analysis, identifying target markets, outlining a marketing message and more.
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Financial Projections
In this online module, you'll learn the importance of financial planning, how to build your financial model, how to understand financial statements and more.
The Startup Roadmap: Marketing Your Business
Learn about how SCORE's Startup Roadmap details how to market your business, find your first customers, and how serves a need they have.
The Startup Roadmap: Accounting, Insurance, and Legal Considerations
In this module of the SCORE Startup Roadmap, you’ll establish your administrative and operational structure and processes to helps ensure that your startup runs effectively and efficiently.
This FREE 2-hour session will prepare you to decide whether to proceed immediately, delay starting your business or not start the business.
Leverage these free templates and resources to propel your business toward success, while complementing your journey with the guidance of a SCORE Mentor, ensuring a well-rounded strategy for achieving your business goals. With the right tools and expert guidance, your business can thrive and reach new heights.
Financial literacy is the key that unlocks the door to economic empowerment and generational wealth.
As a black-owned business, it is crucial to equip yourself with the financial literacy and expertise needed to overcome systemic barriers, seize opportunities and build a thriving business.
Optimizing financial literacy empowers black-owned businesses, leading to increased financial stability, access to capital, wealth creation and resilience in the face of challenges.
The Supplier Diversity & Certifications course modules will familiarize and prepare you for pursuing new opportunities and growing your business.
SCORE for All is the bridge that makes the journey to success more direct and sure-footed for entrepreneurs who need more support.
The Startup Roadmap outlines each step in starting a business with detailed information and resources. And with SCORE, you don’t have to do it alone.
Download our easy-to-use business planning, finance, sales, marketing, and management templates to help you plan for a new business or grow your existing business.
SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competitions promise to be an electrifying celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship. These competitions are designed for small business owners who want to improve their presentation and selling skills.
Participants will gain valuable insights and guidance from SCORE mentors and industry experts, ensuring they are well-prepared to deliver a compelling pitch for this event and for prospective customers and investors. This event promises inspiration, networking opportunities, and a chance to witness groundbreaking ideas take flight.
PREMIER SPONSOR
Black Entrepreneurs are driving transformative change in their communities, tackling unique challenges and seizing opportunities with tenacity and vision. These pioneering individuals foster economic growth, create vital jobs, and leverage innovative solutions to meet community needs. With a deep commitment to their cultural heritage and local environments, Black-owned businesses are building vibrant, resilient economies and showcasing exceptional capacity for innovation and sustainability.
Have a quick business question and need it right away? You can use our online chat to connect 1:1 with a mentor. Simply click on the chat bubble that appears on the bottom of every page. Chat mentors are available:
Mondays - Thursdays, 9 am - 5 pm ET.
“I’ve been a SCORE mentor for eight years and have always enjoyed talking with business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs about ways to help their businesses grow, or their ideas grow into a business. Recently, I have become one of the mentors who responds to chat requests. We are a small, dedicated team of experienced mentors who answer questions from those visiting our site. It is very interesting to hear the questions and challenges facing our clients across the country, and it’s rewarding to provide them with immediate answers and ideas. In addition, I've become a better mentor as a result of chatting with people at different stages in their business.” -John Fisher
