Sponsored by the U. S. Small Business Administration

and

The Chamber of Commerce for Anderson and Madison County

SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Local chapters provide free counseling and low-cost workshops in their communities. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate their time and expertise as business counselors. SCORE was founded in 1964.

The SCORE membership meets monthly to discuss and learn of ways to help Small Businesses

Here in Anderson, our membership is comprised of about three dozen retired executives from all walks of life and representing a multitude of business disciplines. We have four past Chairs of the Chamber of Commerce for Anderson and Madison County, Retired General Motors Business unit Directors, Comptrollers, Plant managers, a former Chairman of a local bank and Chairman of the Indiana State Commission on Banking Practices and a retired Bank Vice-President. We have Realtors, a former President and CEO of a firm that manufactured for export, former owners of a variety of retail stores, a Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and many others. For pictures and short biographical sketches of our members, see our personnel page.

With this significant cross section of disciplines, The Anderson SCORE Chapter is well qualified by experience to provide counseling over a broad area of topics. In the event we are challenged beyond our local experience we have the entire national organization upon which we may draw.

Counseling Services are provided by SCORE at no charge to those who are interested in starting or improving a small business. For more information on counseling, see our counseling page.

Do you want to go into business? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is my product or service different from others already in my market area?
• Do I have the right kind of business experience to succeed?
• Can I prepare a detailed, credible business plan for the first three years?
• Am I able to take responsibility?
• Am I a good organizer for myself and others?
• Am I ready to put in the long hours that might be necessary?
• Am I ready to stick to it even during rough times?
• Do I have the support of my immediate family?
• Do I have adequate resources and credit and maybe a little bit more?
• Is my health up to the tasks ahead?

If you can answer yes to all of the above, consider the Ten Steps in Preparing a Business Plan.

A common question we receive is how to secure a Bank Loan for your business. Before you approach a bank to request a loan, there are several things that you need to prepare. See our check-list and tips for securing a bank loan.

Here are several short articles that have been written by SCORE members and published in the Anderson Herald Bulletin. If, as you read these, you are taken with a question, you can pursue your interest by filling out the form on our counseling page.

• Preparing yourself for Business Ownership
• Securing a Loan for your Business
• The importance of the Business Plan
• Cash flow, Value and Understanding
• Marketing
• Finding Employees
• Hiring Employees
• Keeping Employees
• Training Employees

Much helpful information is also available from the National SCORE Office web site and the Indiana State SCORE web site. Contact us by calling the Anderson Chamber of Commerce at (765) 642-0264 or write to: