Game Plan

The Small Business Administration's Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), located nationwide, offer assistance including counseling, but the primary SBA source of one-on-one counseling is the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. Almost 13,000 volunteers provide individual coaching for small businesses. In 1995, the nearly 400 SCORE chapters across the country provided coaching for more than 268,000 entrepreneurs.

Colleen Hancock, owner of Heads Above the Rest, a Ventura, California, clothing boutique for tall women, is using a SCORE coach to help her decide whether to open a second location. "SCORE is a great resource," says Hancock. "The fact that it's free is just a bonus-it's the quality of the coaching that counts. And with so many [executives] taking early retirement now, there are even more excellent coaches available."

For information on either SBDCs or SCORE, contact your local SBA district office, or call (800) U-ASK-SBA.

This article was originally published in the July 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Game Plan.