Special to bizNEVADA
Originally an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE was founded in 1964 to provide free and confidential business mentoring services to prospective and established small business owners in the United States. Nationwide, SCORE has more than 13,000 active and retired business professional who volunteer their time and expertise. In 2016, SCORE mentors helped start 54,072 new businesses and create 78,691 new jobs.
If you want to start your own business in Nevada, your first stop should be the SCORE office in Las Vegas or in Reno.
SCORE in Nevada is part of the Small Business Roundtable, sponsored by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry. The Roundtable includes more than twenty-five resource partners who can help small businesses in the state for every aspect of their enterprise.
The SCORE partnerships include various chambers of commerce, business councils, banks, and is affiliated with the Small Business Administration. Experienced volunteers also lead low cost seminars and workshops covering everything from starting a business, creating a business plan, sources of funding, licensing, operations and financial management, understanding marketing, basic bookkeeping, and how to successfully recrute or contract with employees.
Many of SCORE’s volunteers have owned their own business or have been senior managers and executives with years of experience. In most cases, you can find a mentor who has the specific background in the business you are investigating. And best of all, the one-on-one mentoring that they provide is free, for as long as you want it. In addition to the local support, SCORE has a national network of experts who can help you by telephone, email, or SKYPE if you cannot find a local match for your needs. The program for veterans includes no cost for the seminars and a “Boots to Business” workshop for those about to leave the service.
If you would like to know more about the services SCORE offers, Go to https://northernnevada.score.org or call 844-232-7227. You can also visit the SCORE office at 450 Sinclair Street, Reno, NV 89501.
