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Thread: Planning Assistance

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    Default Planning Assistance

    Has anyone dealt with the Small Business Administration or SCORE? I've heard good things about SCORE and not so good things about the SBA. Anyone have any experience with either that they would like to share?

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    In Australia i do not think that we have either have these specific organizations. In Queensland where i live, the government department that offers a similar service is called Department of State Development (really original, hey.). Besides controlling all the licensing of business registration and any other things you need to operate different businesses with in the state, they also offer many advice related services. Mostly in printed form, but do also hold some events from time to time.

    I found they were good if you wanted to start a business along the lines of one of the documented businesses but could not offer much outside of this.
    Joel Brown
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    I keep forgetting that this forum has gone international already, sorry Joel.

    In America, SCORE is a great organization that allows those who have been successful in business to mentor those who are just starting out. I've heard some great things about the organization, but I've never worked with them myself.

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    Sounds like a good organization, i might have to look into if they have anything like that in Australia. I have seen a lot of questions around different places about SCORE, so i am guessing it is quite a large organization.
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    SCORE has chapters in a lot of American cities. I think Aaron Hats on this forum is now a SCORE counselor. It's a great way for people who've been successful to help others.

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    I've heard good and bad about both the SBA and SCORE. (Small Business Administration and Service Corps Of Retired Executives, for Joel!) Both are free.

    I always remind people of this - that they are free. That doesn't mean they are good or bad as a result of being free, but look to your own industry. How would you rate the free services against the paid-for services in copywriting, in blogging, in public relations, in anything?

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    I think both can be a great starting resource, but I don't know that I would ever rely on one source of knowledge especially when it comes to something as important as starting a business. I do know of people who have worked with SCORE counselors and found the experience quite helpful.

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    I have not had personal experience with SCORE but I have generally heard good feedback from people who did. Since the counselors are volunteers, they are there because they want to be helpful. Of course, no one person is going to ever give advice that 100% of the people agree with 100% of the time, but even the process of getting advice that you ultimately reject can be a valuable experience.

    My experience with the SBA has been indirect, dealing with lenders making SBA-backed loans. I have several clients that have financed an acquisition of a business that probably would not have been possible without SBA loans. Sometimes the rules are frustrating but you have to understand that it is a Federal government agency and it needs to have rules. Generally when I have heard grumbling it was from someone that didn't qualify for a loan because they could not meet some particular rule.

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    I imagine there are people who have a gripe about the SBA because they didn't meet the requirements or didn't want to follow the rules. That wouldn't surprise me at all. I know we have a pretty active branch of the SBA in my town, and it seems to have done some good. I've not had any personal experience with them though.

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