SCORE is the largest network of volunteer expert business mentors, with more than 10,000 volunteers in 300 chapters across the US.
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It is a completely non-profit association dedicated to helping small businesses grow and achieve their goals and is completely free. Most SCORE mentors are working or retired business owners and managers who have extensive experience.
If you are just starting your craft business and need some advice, or need some guidance on what to do next in order to grow your handmade business further then definitely consider arranging a mentor meeting with SCORE.
You can arrange to meet a mentor online or face-to-face at a chapter nearest to where you are based. To begin, you can search for a mentor using their Find a Mentor page. Alternatively, you can contact your local SCORE chapter and they can help you to be matched with someone with experience in your industry.
Once you have had your first one hour meeting, your mentor will then schedule another appointment, or alternatively assist in finding the right resource for you. Meeting regularily with your mentor from this point is a good idea to maximise your chance of success.
What to bring to your first SCORE mentor meeting
It’s a good idea to bring more than what you’ll anticipate you need as then you can refer to it if it comes up in the chat. Things like your business plan, goals, profit loss statement (if you have one) and a list of questions that you would like to ask would be a great start.
To give your mentor a good idea of your business and what you sell, you might like to consider bringing your laptop so that you can show your online store with product listings, and you might even like to bring a couple of product samples so that they can really get a feel for your product lines.
