Frequently Asked Questions About SCORE (FAQ)
About SCORE and its members
What is SCORE?
What is SCORE Rochester?
Are there SCORE offices closer to me than Rochester?
About SCORE Services
What services does SCORE offer?
Is my business eligible to get help from SCORE?
How many people has SCORE helped?
How can SCORE help me?
Are business secrets safe with SCORE?
How does SCORE help women entrepreneurs?
How does SCORE help minority entrepreneurs?
How can I arrange for a SCORE member to speak to my group?
About SCORE Counseling
What kind of counseling does SCORE provide?
Are all counseling sessions free?
What qualifies SCORE counselors to give business advice?
What is email counseling?
How can I contact SCORE for email counseling?
About SCORE Workshops
What kind of workshops does SCORE provide?
How do I sign up for a workshop?
Is there a fee for workshops?
About SCORE and its members
What is SCORE?
SCORE is a nonprofit association comprised of 11,500 volunteer business counselors throughout the U.S. and its territories. There are 389 SCORE chapters in urban, suburban and rural communities. SCORE members are trained to serve as counselors, advisors and mentors to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. These services are free to small businesses as a community service. SCORE was formed in 1964 and over 4.5 million Americans have utilized SCORE services.
What is SCORE Rochester?
It is the chapter that covers Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties. It also covers the eastern half of Genesee and Orleans counties. It has more than 60 members who counsel and present workshops throughout these counties. Our members are retired executives who come from careers in the fields of business, education, and government, and who volunteer their time as SCORE members. Under the auspices of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Rochester members join other volunteers across the nation in assisting businesses and organizations with business planning, promotion and the resolution of problems.
Are there SCORE offices closer to me than Rochester?
In addition to the Federal Building in Rochester, SCORE Rochester has counseling locations in Canandaigua, Geneva, Greece, Lyons, Macedon, Penn Yan, Pittsford, Sodus, Victor and in Webster. To find a SCORE chapter that is closer to you, go to www.score.org and click on “Find SCORE”. Then click on “Get a Map to a Chapter Near You”. Finally, enter your zip code and you will be shown the chapters closest to you together with addresses and telephone numbers.
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About SCORE Services
What services does SCORE offer?
SCORE offers free counseling and low-cost workshops and seminars. Workshop topics are chosen to help address specific interests in a given community. Basic workshop fees range from $25 to $45. Workshop topics put on by the Rochester chapter have included: Developing Your Business Plan, Starting and Operating Your Own Business, Getting Financing For Your Business, Basic Business Accounting, Marketing Techniques for your Small Business. (See About SCORE Workshops)
Is my business eligible to get help from SCORE?
Any small business can get SCORE counseling. Whether you are starting a business, experiencing problems, need assistance in growing or buying/selling a business, SCORE can help. All counseling is strictly personal and confidential.
How many people has SCORE helped?
Since 1964, SCORE has helped over seven million entrepreneurs and small businesses. It provides about 450,000 business services a year. In Rochester, SCORE counsels about 1,600 entrepreneurs a year. More than 1,000 people attended one of the many workshops presented each year by Rochester SCORE.
How can SCORE help me?
In times of economic change, you must be diligent in preparing advance plans. Begin by developing a business plan with realistic sales projections and a plan to hold the line on costs. SCORE can provide advice to help you develop or update your plan. (See Getting Started.)
Are business secrets safe with SCORE?
Yes. All SCORE business counselors honor the client's right to proprietary and confidential information. Client information remains confidential. All SCORE counselors abide by an association Code of Ethics which includes protecting the confidences between client and counselor. Each year, counselors reaffirm their commitment to the Code of Ethics.
How does SCORE help women entrepreneurs?
Women now employ 11 million people and own one-third of the total number of businesses with fewer than 500 employees. SCORE is serving an increasing number of women entrepreneurs: Over 40% of SCORE's individual counseling clients are women and more than 4,000 women a month attend SCORE workshops.
How does SCORE help minority entrepreneurs?
Minority owned businesses employ more than 4.5 million people and own more than three million businesses. SCORE is serving an increasing number of minority entrepreneurs: Over 16% of SCORE's individual counseling clients are minorities and more than 1,000 minority entrepreneurs a month attend SCORE workshops.
How can I arrange for a SCORE member to speak to my group?
The Rochester Chapter Speaker’s Bureau is composed of SCORE members who are available to speak to local groups about starting up a new small business or growing an existing small business. The speakers are volunteers who are either retired or active local business owners or managers. They are available for meetings of professional, civic, for-profit, non-profit, fraternal or religious organizations in addition to local Chambers of Commerce. If your group is interested in learning more about small business, contact SCORE at (585) 263-6473.
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About SCORE Counseling
What kind of counseling does SCORE provide?
SCORE's experienced business experts provide general business advice on everything from how to write a business plan, to cash flow management, to developing a small business advisory board. Assistance for aspiring entrepreneurs may involve explaining how to investigate the market potential for a product or service and assessing the capital needs to start a business. Counselors can provide insight into how to start a business, operate a business, buy a business or franchise and sell a business.
Counseling is by appointment for one hour each with any of the chapter's 60 counselors. Unlimited follow-on counseling sessions can be scheduled. Counseling locations and times are listed in Counseling. Contact our office at (585) 263-6473 to set up an appointment. Email counseling is also available (see below).
Are all counseling sessions free?
Yes. SCORE counseling services are provided free of charge to small businesses across America.
What qualifies SCORE counselors to give business advice?
The key qualification that SCORE counselors bring to clients is real-world experience. SCORE volunteers hail from every facet of the business community. In Rochester, some have worked at large corporations such as Xerox, Eastman Kodak or Bausch & Lomb. Some have served in our military or worked for the local or federal government. Others have spent years cultivating their own small businesses. They’ve made mistakes and enjoyed business successes – they are ready to give their time and business insights back to emerging and existing business owners. What better way to use the knowledge you’ve spent years developing than to mentor someone new or struggling in the business world?
All members receive specialized training offered by SCORE to improve listening skills, counseling methods and problem-solving techniques. (See Who We Are)
What is email counseling?
Email counseling is an exchange between you, an entrepreneur or small business owner, and a volunteer SCORE business counselor. Email counseling gives you the opportunity to send email questions about small business via the Internet to experts from all over the U. S. These SCORE members are contributing their time and expertise toward helping you make your business successful. You may keep the dialog going as long as you have questions for your business counselor.
How can I contact SCORE for email counseling?
The National SCORE Web site offers a special feature called Get Email Counseling. You can go to email counseling and pose a business question to one of the SCORE business counselors who have joined the SCORE Cyber Chapter to provide you with email answers to your business questions. You choose from a list of counselors with expertise in the business areas that interest you and write a question to the counselor who is the best match for your business or industry.
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About SCORE Workshops
What kind of workshops does SCORE provide?
The Rochester chapter of SCORE offers low-cost workshops designed to provide practical business information for the current or prospective business owner in both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. The workshops present an overview covering the basics of making your business successful.
The instructors are chosen for their expertise in a specific area. Workshop speakers are SCORE members as well as accountants, lawyers, insurance brokers, bankers, U. S. Small Business Administration staff and other professionals in the local business community.
Topics are planned to help address specific interests in a given community. Workshop topics put on by the Rochester chapter have included: Preparing Your Own Business Plan, Small Business Start-up & Survival, Basic Business Accounting, and Marketing Techniques for your Small Business. Workshop fees range from $25 to $45.
How do I sign up for a workshop?
For information or reservations call the SCORE office at (585) 263-6473.
Is there a fee for workshops?
Yes, unless otherwise indicated. Half-day sessions at the Federal Building run from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM and are priced at $25 each including a continental breakfast. Full day sessions at the Federal Building run from 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM and are priced at $45 each including a continental breakfast and lunch.
Other workshops are held for two hours in the evening to facilitate attendance for people whose schedule does not allow them to attend workshops held during the day at other locations. These are priced at $45 and generally are for four weeks.