San Francisco provides free and confidential business counseling tailored to meet the needs of your small business. Whether you are just starting a business or expanding an established business, SCORE counselors are here to help you succeed.

Contact Us  to set-up an appointment to meet with a business counselor to develop your business plan, discuss a new idea or tackle a business problem.

Our office hours are from 9:00am through 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, except for holidays. Please schedule an appointment in advance if you have a preferred time. If necessary, special meeting places and times can be set by mutual agreement with the individual counselor.

There is no charge for counseling, no matter how many sessions are needed. Each session will last about one hour. We will continue to be interested in your progress, so follow-on sessions are encouraged. Counseling is available to all U.S. citizens over the age of 13.

If you prefer, fill out the counseling request form below. A counselor from the San Francisco SCORE Chapter 10 will contact you shortly to set-up a one-on-one counseling appointment. Please review the counseling preparation suggestions listed below, which will ensure the most productive outcome from your counseling session. 

To learn more about our team of business counselors, visit Meet Our Volunteers.

Want to get the most out of your appointment?
         

Doing a little preparation for your first appointment will greatly enhance your  counseling session.  During this session, your counselor will learn about your business concept and your personal business knowledge and resources. Thinking through the answers to these questions will help you to bring these into focus.

Your counselor may ask you ...

• What type of help can SCORE provide you?

• Briefly, what is your business idea?

• What is your education or business experience in this type of business?

• Does your family and personal situation support your effort?

• Have you considered the start-up cost and your potential sources for these funds? 

• What products or services will you be providing?

• What planning or market research activities have you already done?

• How did you determine there was a  need for your product or service?

• Specifically, who are the customers for your product or service?

• Who are your competitors, and how are you different?

• From your customer’s perspective, what benefits do you provide?

If you have any written material such as cash flow projections or preliminary business plan bring a copy for us to review.
Bring pen and paper so that you are prepared to take notes.

Attending our workshop on How to Start and Manage Your Business is an excellent way to start your business and to begin your association with SCORE. For details and to register please go to http://www.eventbrite.com.