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Welcome to SCORE!
Greetings!
SCORE, Service Corp Of Retired
(and Working) Executives, Counselors to America's Small Business offers
free counseling to St. Louis area small businesses.
For more
information contact us at 314-539-6600 Ext. 242 or www.stlscore.org to learn more about what SCORE offers.
See Our Website
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St. Louis SCORE
200 North Broadway
Suite 1500
St. Louis,
MO
63102
314-539-6600 x242
http://www.stlscore.org
St. Charles Office
636-447-5000
St. Charles Economic Development Center
5988 Mid Rivers Mall Dr.
St.Charles, MO 63304
Kirkwood Office
314-800-1527
Inside National City Bank
333 S. Kirkwood Rd
Kirkwood, MO 63122
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SCORE Mentors Help Veterans, National Guard and Reservists
to Start and Grow Small Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael
Keaton
Director
of Communications
SCORE, E-Mail:
michael.keaton@score.org
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Washington,
DC - SCORE
"Counselors to America's Small Business" salutes the men and women of the U.S.
Armed Forces. Volunteer SCORE counselors offer free business mentoring and resources
to veterans, members of the National Guard and Reservists who are starting
or growing a small business. Many SCORE volunteers are veterans who donate
their time to mentor veterans and other entrepreneurs in their hometowns.
SCORE
offices nationwide have programs and services specifically for members of the
military community, some of whom will be leaving the service soon and others
who completed their terms years ago. SCORE provides new and updated resources
for veterans online at www.score.org/veteran.html.
Helpful
links and resources include:
Insights for veterans with leadership tips, grants and
an introspective questionnaire to help determine if starting a small
business is the right option
Directories of state programs and other resources for
veterans
Links to business loan programs, including SBA Economic
Injury Loans, Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the
Patriot Express Loan Initiative
Information about specific SCORE programs for veterans
and links to SCORE's free online
and face-to-face
mentoring, online
workshops and eNewsletters.
After
retiring from the Navy as a helicopter pilot, Tony Clarke decided to open a
microbrewery. He attended San Diego SCORE workshops at least twice monthly.
Clarke also met with SCORE Counselor Henry Olbricht to review Airdale's
business, marketing and sales plans.
"The
information I received from Henry is invaluable. He helped me set
realistic sales goals and suggested I present conservative financial numbers to
potential investors," Clarke says. "It was through SCORE that I met a lender
who was open to financing a start-up."
Today,
Airdale is available in more than 40 different establishments and is sold at
San Diego Padre baseball games. Sales have increased by 25 percent each
quarter since Airdale began selling its ales. Airdale Brewery has been featured
in the San Diego Business Journal.
To meet a SCORE counselor in St. Louis, come in to one of our three locations or call 314.539.6600 x242 |
Boost Your Business With Summer Interns
Extra help, fresh perspectives and new talent are some of the ways hiring summer interns can boost your biz.
By Rieva Lesonsky
As
we head into summer, all signs point to an improving economy. Are you
expecting your business to ramp up as well? If so, do you have enough
personnel to handle an uptick in sales? Despite the expectation of
sunnier days ahead, I'm guessing most of you aren't quite ready to add
full-time or even part-time employees.
Summer Interns - Depending on the tasks you
need handled, interns can provide at least a temporary solution. First,
however, you need to understand upfront that interns are not there to
fetch coffee or run personal errands. They sign on with your company to
learn more about your industry, to get actual work experience, and/or
to earn college credits.
Your first stop in your search for
interns should be at local colleges and universities. Many have formal
internship programs. Check with the placement office at these local
schools (and don't forget junior colleges, or if appropriate, local
high schools) to see if you can establish a relationship with them.
Most university programs require the employers to offer "substantial"
work and periodically fill out paperwork.
One caution: Don't
think of interns as "free" help. More and more states are requiring
that interns be paid at least minimum wage. Even if your state is not
one of these, businesses need to follow new guidelines issued by the Department of Labor, which ensures that the work offered meets specific educational requirements.
Interns
can offer your business a fresh perspective. Take advantage of their
views and include the interns in brainstorming sessions and other
meetings. In certain areas, these college students might know more than
you and your staff. Interns can be very helpful, for instance, if you
need help designing websites, creating blogs or expanding your social
media presence.
If you're lucky, you might find a talented
intern who could keep working for you after classes resume in the fall.
But the benefits are not just short term.
Think of adding an
internship program in your business as creating a hiring pipeline. Over
the years, I've actually hired quite a few interns for full-time
positions. After all, you've already invested the time in training them
for the job-and you've likely already passed the employer-employee
compatibility test.
BizSuccessTips Editor Rieva
Lesonsky is founder and president of GrowBiz Media, a content and
consulting company. A nationally recognized small-business expert,
Lesonsky has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and numerous local and
national television programs. Read more of her insights at SmallBizDaily.com.
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PR for Small Business: Use the Web to Reach People Directly
Traditionally,
PR has meant getting good press. Indeed, any business or product launch usually
aims to get media coverage. Working with media to tell your story is still
important, but the Internet is transforming our idea of what PR can do. The
reason: the Web now gives business owners the power to reach their audiences
directly.
Here are
three ways business owners can use the Web to "go direct":
Target niche media, not mass media
Entrepreneurs
may dream of having their product on Oprah, but in 2010, small is the new big.
A Twitter-based job-hunting service found that an article in The New York Times
drove only a few dozen readers to the company's website, while a story in a
relatively unknown blog resulted in 10,000 visitors. Think of blogs and niche
websites as today's new trade media-they can reach the relatively defined universe
of buyers critical to your business.
Listen and respond
Social
networks like Facebook and Twitter are a great place to engage and listen to
customers. Review sites like Angie's List and Yelp serve as online
"neighborhoods" where anyone can post a good (or bad) review of your company.
It's wise to monitor these services-even better to become a member and make
sure people are getting the whole story.
Be your own publisher
As fewer
people consume traditional media, companies must take more responsibility for
telling their story. A press release used to be a document given only to the
press. Today, news releases can be found on Google and in online newsrooms. A
company can use a variety of platforms-a blog, a channel on YouTube-to publish
whatever it wants about its product and services. A Facebook page, for
instance, can house "how to" guides, videos, photos and articles, while
allowing you to post messages to followers.
Today's
Web-centric PR means that companies have not just an opportunity but an
obligation to communicate with their customers online. Is your PR strategy Internet-ready?
Brian
Posnanski is the founder of TrafficPRM, an interactive PR firm that focuses on traditional
PR, social
media and SEO. Reach him at brian@traffic-prm.com or through
www.traffic-prm.com.
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Upcoming Events
SCORE Chapter 21
Monthly Seminars
Improve Your Business!
REGISTER NOW !
"How to Start and Manage Your Own Business"
Time is running out on this one!
Saturday
June 12, 2010
8:15 A.M. to 3 P.M
Fee - $50.00
St. Louis Community College at Meramec
11333 Big Bend Blvd.
St. Louis, Mo. 63122
Room SO - 105
Register Now!
Quick Books Basic
June 26, 2010
9 am to 12 noon
Fee - $30
16100 Chesterfield Parkway West
Chesterfield, MO 63017
To learn more about any of these courses and dates, times and how to register -
CLICK HERE
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A networking/education/information exchange organization that serves as a
catalyst bringing together the people genuinely interested in helping
entrepreneurs.
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Resources For You
2010 Speed Coaching Event. Take
your business to the next level with this event from American Express
OPEN and SCORE.
One-on-one coaching, networking opportunities and
resources to grow your business. Coming to St. Louis October 20th. More Information.
 How to Really Start Your Business, July 13, 2010. Sign
up for this live webinar from The Company Corporation and SCORE. Learn
how to focus your business idea and get small business financing. Register today.
St. Charles Economic Development Center
Alliance Training
June 10 - "I
Remember That -- Secrets to a Sharper Memory"
July 8 - "Media
Panel--How to Get Media Attention for Your Business"
and more See the website
SCORE Social Media
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HELP WANTED
St. Louis, Missouri Chapter of SCORE is looking
for full or part-time volunteers to share their business knowledge and
experience. Applicants must have a history of success, be an excellent
communicator and possess some basic computer skills.
SCORE volunteers are real-world professionals
with time-tested knowledge who donate their time to help small business
succeed.
St. Louis SCORE provides no-cost, confidential
business counseling tailored to meet the needs of our clients. We also offer
workshops and seminars for both start-up entrepreneurs and existing businesses.
For more information, please call (314)
539-6600 ext. 242 or send an e-mail to admin@stlscore.org.
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Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business," a nonprofit association and resourc e partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE is dedicated to entrepreneurship and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 8 million entrepreneurs.
You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed at http://www.score.org. To unsubscribe, click here. To update or change your email address, click here. We do not sell, rent or trade the names on our email list. Your email address is only used to send messages from SCORE. Visit http://www.score.org to view SCORE's Privacy Policy.
© Copyright 2010. SCORE Association. All rights reserved.
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