| SCORE Small Business Web Site Provides Entrepreneurs with Award-Winning Tools, Tips and Advice |
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Washington, DC-SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is your online resource for high-quality expert advice, business templates and how-to guides. Millions of entrepreneurs just like you count on the SCORE Small Business Web Site, www.score.org. SCORE recently expanded its online services and features pages dedicated to women, veteran, minority and young entrepreneurs.
Visitors to the SCORE Web Site can ask for guidance from a SCORE online counselor, download tools to help manage their businesses, and find helpful links to a wide variety of small business resources.
Free Email Advice for Entrepreneurs
The SCORE Web Site gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to ask seasoned business counselors for advice through Ask SCORE online counseling.
After entering a question or key words that relate to the topic, users can review a list of counselors and their areas of expertise. Questions are submitted to the counselor of their choice, and answers come within 48 hours.
Free Online Guides Highlight Valuable Information
SCORE offers dozens of 60-second online guides with quick and practical tips on a wide variety of small business topics. To increase accessibility, the 60-second guides are available in both English and Spanish. Topics include:
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Creating a Market Niche: www.score.org/60_guide_market_niche.html
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Financing Your Start-up Business: www.score.org/financing_startup.html
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Marketing on a Limited Budget: www.score.org/60_guide_marketing_budget.html
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Writing a Business Plan: www.score.org/60_guide_business_plan.html
Access Business Templates
The template gallery is another valuable resource for new and existing small business owners. More than a dozen templates are available, covering issues from business plans and bank loan requests to financial statements and cash flow statements. Templates include:
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A Business Plan for a Start-up Business
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A Business Plan for an Established Business
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Bank Loan Request for Small Business
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Projected Balance Sheet
To view and download these templates, visit www.score.org/template_gallery.html.
Find Other Business Resources Online
The SCORE Web Site provides Small Biz Power Links to dozens of other sites where you can find resources you can use to ensure your business success. They include:
- www.entreworld.org: Entreworld, run by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, delivers useful information, guidance and contacts for entrepreneurs. Learn how to grow your business at www.entreworld.org/Channel/GYB.cfm.
- www.inc.com: Read articles on Inc. magazine's Web site that address the management of small business from a variety of perspectives. Submit your application for the 2005 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States at www.inc.com/inc500_app/apply05.jsp.
- www.nolo.com: Find self-help legal information for small businesses. Topics include: Business & Human Resources; Patents, Copyright & Art; Property & Money; and Rights & Disputes.
- www.sba.gov: The official site of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a wealth of resources to help small businesses succeed. Find information on:
- Starting Your Business: www.sba.gov/starting_business/index.html
- Financing Your Business: www.sba.gov/financing/index.html
- Disaster Recovery: www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/index.html
In addition, the SBA Office of Advocacy provides valuable data on small businesses at www.sba.gov/advo.
Since 1964, SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" has assisted more than 7 million aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling and business workshops. More than 10,500 volunteer business counselors in 389 chapters serve their communities through entrepreneur education dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses. For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Or, visit SCORE on the Web at www.score.org.
