By Jeff Wentworth
State senator, District 25

SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, is scoring big with both small-business owners and Texans who are interested in starting their own businesses.

A nonprofit association, SCORE is the first resource many entrepreneurs access for information about building, expanding and protecting their small businesses. The SCORE association has helped more than 7.8 million entrepreneurs since it was founded in 1964. SCORE is also endorsed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Whether you are interested in operating your small business as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a company, SCORE counselors will help you decide the best business plan for you.

Retired business executives will review the advantages and disadvantages of each type of business to ensure that you have the information you need to make a sound decision before investing your time and money in a start-up business.

SCORE business counselors volunteer their time and expertise to provide free and confidential mentoring. Volunteers are both active and retired business owners and executives who have extensive experience in business ownership and/or management.

Whether you are choosing a name or searching for the right location, SCORE’s volunteers will be there to offer advice and support.

Once you have chosen a name, found a location and decided on how to organize your business, SCORE volunteers will continue to provide input on such vital issues as financing, insurance coverage, cash flow, marketing, government compliance and technology. It doesn’t matter if you are planning to start your business in a garage or in a downtown office building, SCORE will be there to help you every step of the way.

SCORE’s San Antonio office is located at 17319 San Pedro Ave., Building 2, Suite 200. Counselors may be reached at 403-5931 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it SCORE’s San Antonio Web site is www.sanantonioscore.org.

Whether you are a young entrepreneur with a big idea or an older Texan who is ready to leave an eight-to-five job to live out a dream of business ownership, SCORE counselors may help you avoid the pitfalls that often result in businesses failing before they hardly get started.

In addition to working with small-business entrepreneurs, SCORE affords business executives the opportunity to give back to the community. To become a counselor, call (800) 634-0245, access the SCORE Web site or visit a SCORE office.

The budding entrepreneur a counselor helps today could become tomorrow’s Michael Dell.