Small business learned recently that they have a friend in SCORE.
SCORE is a nonprofit association of volunteers dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.
Frank Krouse spelled out some of what SCORE can mean to a community of small businesses, during last week’s Lunch and Learn Program, hosted by The Greater Cheraw Chamber of Commerce.
The July 18 program, held at El’ Sherif’s restaurant, included a demonstration of the Chamber’s new website software by Mark Davies, as well as information on SCORE.
Volunteers for SCORE are comprised of retired or semi-retired business professionals. All 11,200 members are volunteers and cover the U.S. and its territories.
The local chapter covering Cheraw is affiliated with the Midlands SCORE, which is located in Columbia and serves the following areas: Cheraw, Hartsville, Sumter, Orangeburg and Lexington. The SCORE association mentors people interested in starting a business, people that are already established in a business, or those looking to exit the business world.
They provide business assistance to existing and emerging businesses through free business counseling sessions, and offer free or low cost workshops. Those wishing to participate may receive face to face counseling, telephone meetings, or Internet/webinar sessions in addition to workshops.
Cheraw has five members from local businesses who volunteer their time for the SCORE organization. These members are Mary Beth Parker, Robert Calhoun, Joe Witherspoon, Lane Brown and Charles Skipper. For more information, or to make a counseling appointment, contact the Midlands SCORE chapter at 803-765-5131 or visit their site at www.scoremidlands.org.
The Chamber’s original website had been up for years, said Davies, but was not very member-friendly. The new site has been up since the end of May and already has a thousand hits. The basic features are free to chamber members, as well as local businesses, and individuals.
The interactive site allows the user to edit their own business information. It provides a map showing the location of their business to potential visitors and customers. The site also has a feature that allows more than one person within the business to access updating and editing information. Other options include: slide shows, logos, links to the business website, and how to advertise on the new website.
“The ChamberMaster website was created for the Chamber members and we want the site to work for them,” said Davies. For additional information visit the Chamber website at www.cherawchamber.com.
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