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SCORE mentoring is a free service offered to U.S. based 业务 (or 业务 主意).

Partnering with you one-on-one or in small group sessions, SCORE mentors support your success by providing experienced advice, consulting on best practices, 和 educating you on small 业务 主题.

Once you’ve submitted your mentoring 请求 和 you’ve scheduled your appointment with your mentor, you will meet to discuss your 业务 goals 和 challenges. Your mentor will ask you questions about what’s working in your 业务 (和 what’s not) 和 will seek to underst和 what you’re hoping to achieve in working with them. They will provide answers to your 业务 questions, connect you to local 和 national resources, 和 will recommend workshops 和 events to help you fill any knowledge gaps that might exist.

If at any point, you need a different expert – because you need different expertise or if you don’t feel your mentor is the best fit – you can 请求 additional support from other SCORE mentors in our network.

We can work with you using different communication methods, including phone, video, 电子邮件 和 in-person meetings. We can provide support for a simple 业务 question or work with you through complex 业务 challenges. You can with your mentor(s) as often as you need, for the life of your 业务. We provide support for all stages of the 业务 lifecycle. This means that we’re here to help you if you’re thinking about starting a 业务, managing a 业务, growing your 业务, selling or exiting your 业务.

To get started, simply use our mentor search or enter your zip code in the field above to complete a mentoring 请求. 这将 be sent to the appropriate mentor or chapter who will respond within 48 hours.

When you enter your zip code in the field above, you’ll be taken to our mentoring 请求 form. We’ll use the information that you provide in that form to find your ideal expert. 更多的 specifically, we’ll work to underst和 your 业务 question(s) 和 compare that to the mentor profiles in our database to find an expert that matches your needs.

If you have a 更多的 general question, we’ll pair you with a local expert who can work with you to identify your area of greatest need 和 will coach you on that topic. If necessary, your mentor will invite other SCORE subject matter experts to help if you have questions on several different 主题.

The time to get matched varies based on your 业务 question, but typically you should hear from a mentor within 48 hours. Once you hear from your mentor, you can work with them to schedule your first mentoring appointment at a time that is convenient for both of your schedules.

是的! Your mentor will attempt to contact you 3 times upon receiving your mentoring 请求. They will 电子邮件 you 和 text you (if you select text notifications), so make sure you check your junk folders 和 whitelist 电子邮件s sent from @scorevolunteer.org 和 @ipbb.net.

Client confidentiality is an institutional principle at SCORE. This means that a SCORE client’s confidentiality does not reside with a single volunteer or chapter but is maintained as confidential within SCORE.

SCORE volunteers cannot sign any client’s confidentiality agreements or any Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), but the client’s confidentiality is covered in the volunteer’s agreement with SCORE.

This agreement to maintain client confidentiality - as well as other values that are integral to the client relationship - is confirmed in writing in the SCORE Code of Ethics. Among other things, our Code of Ethics directs our volunteers as follows:

• Always place the 业务 interests of SCORE clients first.
• Protect the confidentiality of all client information so that it remains within SCORE.

All SCORE mentors are required to sign this agreement annually.

SCORE mentors can help 业务es in all industries. We have experts in a variety of fields, including professional services, retail, arts, entertainment, recreation, food services, accommodations, travel, 市场营销 & advertising, health care, social assistance, real estate 和 更多的.

Regardless of your industry, our mentors are knowledgeable in all areas of 业务 和 can answer your questions about popular 主题 such as sales, 市场营销, 金融, accounting, management, 和 technology.

A SCORE mentoring relationship lasts as long as you need it! 可以 mean a few meaningful sessions to achieve a specific goal or overcome a challenge. 或者,它 can be a SCORE mentoring relationship that lasts for years, when you always have a trusted advisor for the life of your small 业务.

A mentoring session is a confidential, personalized conversation with a 业务 expert to answer a question or to solve a problem that you’re facing.

SCORE mentoring sessions are collaborative meetings between the small 业务 owner 和 the SCORE mentor. They are typically scheduled for an hour 和 can be held virtually, through 在线 meetings, phone calls, 电子邮件, or even in person if you would like to be paired with a local mentor. You can share your 业务 goals, progress, challenges, 和 questions during these sessions. SCORE mentors will offer advice, resources, 和 insights so you gain clarity on your next best steps.

When you first meet with your mentor, they will ask you questions about your 业务 和 your goals. 这将 help them underst和 how to best support you 和 answer your 业务 questions. They will leverage their personal experience 和 knowledge to help you avoid common challenges 和 mistakes. If they do not have the expertise you need, they may invite another mentor to participate in the meeting.

Once you discuss your initial 业务 question, they may ask you to complete 业务 templates or to review resources on SCORE.org. Additionally, they may recommend SCORE or partner workshops or resources to meet your needs. They will also schedule a follow-up session to ensure you’re on the right track 和 to keep supporting your 业务.

To make the most of your mentoring experience, we recommend being prepared with a 业务 question or challenge that you can work on with your mentor. If you’re starting a 业务, we recommend being prepared with a 业务 idea before you 请求 a mentor. If you’re not sure what type of 业务 you want to start, consider using our Startup Roadmap to help you define your 业务 idea. If you already own a 业务, come to your meeting prepared with the issue you need to resolve or the goal that you’d like to achieve.

其他 tips to make the most of your mentoring include:

• Checking your inbox for 电子邮件s from SCORE.
• Be ready to actively participate in your session. This means bringing specific questions that we can answer, engaging in discussions about your 业务, 和 challenging the mentor's ideas & suggestions if you don't fully underst和 them.
• If your 业务 is already in operation, please be willing to share your history, recent financials, cash flow, 和 业务 plan. 这将 give your mentor a much-needed underst和ing of your current operations so they can suggest ideas about how/where to improve.
• Be open 和 honest in the discussion.
• Be willing to meet with your mentor over a period of time. Many of the questions that we receive will take 更多的 than one meeting to answer. Remember, mentoring is always free 和 you can meet with your mentor as often as needed (based on schedule 和 availability).
• Keep in mind that SCORE mentors will not do the work for you. We are here as guides 和 advisors but we’ll ask you to do the work. This is to help you develop the skills 和 knowledge needed to manage your 业务.
• When you’ve achieved success with your mentor, submit a success story for our website. 这将 allow us to celebrate your accomplishments 和 spread the word about your 业务. Your story could be featured in SCORE’s national media releases 和 市场营销 efforts, which will build awareness for your 业务.
• Consider attending a SCORE workshop to complement your mentoring. We offer educational webinars, workshops 和 events 在线 和 in your local community. 这将 help you strengthen your knowledge 和 exp和 your 业务 network.