SCORE is a wonderful resource that I was introduced to in 2002. They try to pair you with a mentor that fits your industry as closely as possible. I've taken classes through the SBA and met regularly with my friend and mentor, John Dellar. Words cannot express my gratitude for having John walk me through the ups and downs of business. He's been a blessing and I tell him repeatedly that any time I haven't listened, I've fallen. For my fellow entrepreneurs - take advantage of this resource--you may not always like what you hear, but these SCORE counselors have been through it all. They donate their valuable time and energy to help us not make potential mistakes. Best of luck and thank you to SCORE! read more

If I could give Score a rating of less than one star I would have done so. First if all they are complete waste if your time and it takes a very long time for a so called mentor to answer your requests and reply to you. Second they send you a phony template and ask you several questions that are very vague and general questions. After I spent many hours of answering those questions they gave me phony excuses and rejected my answers even after I revised them so many times and then they lied to me in many occasions by accusing me not to answer those questions. They are very dishonest,corrupt, careless and complete waste if your time and money. Trust me they are there to completely waste your time and hard work. Stay as far as you can from this organization. They are complete scam and fraud. Be very careful. read more

Dr Valerie S. San Francisco, CA Dec 21, 2024 I have the pleasure of working with George Schaefer through SCORE, and I am incredibly grateful for his expertise and guidance. George brings a wealth of knowledge, professionalism, and a genuine desire to help others succeed. From our very first meeting, George took the time to understand my goals and challenges. His thoughtful approach, combined with his ability to break down complex concepts into manageable steps, made a significant difference in how I approached my business strategy. He offered invaluable insights, practical advice, and resources that were directly applicable to my needs especially as he introduced me to AI. What stood out most was George's persistence, patience and encouragement. He created a supportive environment that allowed me to feel confident in exploring new ideas and making informed decisions. His mentorship has been instrumental in helping me move forward with clarity and purpose with my non-profit as well as my professional physician business. I wholeheartedly recommend George Schaefer to anyone seeking a SCORE mentor. His dedication, expertise, and genuine care for his https://www.score.org/inlandempire/profile/george-p-schaefer read more

I don't understand why, as a minority woman, I undergo so much racism and mistreatment by others as a businesswoman. I had an appointment for a Zoom meeting, and the mentor never showed up. I researched how to prepare the document on my own. read more

SCORE is an incredible mentorship program. As a first time business owner I've found my monthly check-ins with my mentor, Joel Kaufmann, to be invaluable for helping me stay focused and moving my business forward. The fact that this program is at no cost to the mentee is astounding to me - I can't say enough good things about this program and am so happy that I discovered it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a mentor in any industry. read more

I would give it a 0 if I could I had a mentor that pretty much just shit on me the whole meeting. literally was just telling me I'd get fired for trying to open a business while being employed by someone else even though I told him multiple times I wasn't completing against my employer. so after spending 30 minutes of our one hour session telling me about how he would fire me if I was his employee he then asks me some basic questions like "do I know how to use quick books?" and stuff like "do I know how to use email?" Lol seriously? He then tells me in order to expand my clientele for my buisness I just need to know people who know people? Like this was his version of saying "wanna know the secret to get rich? Just be rich lol!" Total joke I'll never use score again read more

I am so happy with the service SCORE provides, it is such a comfort to get outside advice from an experienced mentor and couldn't praise Mike Moittel enough. He has been guiding us towards making our company a success by helping us focus on the core areas we need to get right now, helping us avoid the common pitfalls and giving us tips and support. An amazing service! read more

Horrible experience. I went in to meet with a Business consultant by the name of Walter. Not only was he unfriendly but he was also extremely rude. As I went in and sat down with him to discuss my business plan he kept hitting the table as if he was agitated by something so I kindly asked him to stop and he said, "No. I don't care if you don't like it." I ignored this rude gesture and went on to ask him a few questions and rudely his response to me was, "Your a black women and will never be able to start your own business nor will you get funding, regardless of the crowdfunding sources that you are using." All I could do was leave at that point because it was obvious he didn't want to help me. No one regardless of their skin color deserves to be treated in such an inhuman way. I hope that this changes because it's sad. read more

I was told by a colleague of mine that this is a great resource for people wanting to start their own business. I went on their website and got in touch with a mentor. He suggested about setting up an appointment so we can do a face-to-face. Totally cool! So I just called to set up an appointment and the woman who was trying to "help" me was a total B. I decided to look past the fact that she was chewing gum on the phone and her lack of enthusiasm, but that didn't work. She informed me that the mentor I wanted to meet was only available on Wednesdays. Okay, no big deal, but after asking about his availability, she was very firm that he is only available on Wednesday. Okay, that's not what I meant so I rephrased the question to what his availability is on Wednesdays. She started off with tomorrow and there were only 2 slots available that actually wouldn't work for me. So I just asked what his schedule was like for the following Wednesday. This woman not evening knowing how my schedule is, straight tells me, "If you are looking for an afternoon availability with him, that's not going to happen." I hung up. Thank you, fat B. read more

While I am not sure what the acronym stands for I know the organization stands as an opportunity to receive valuable knowledge from successful business people who get no reward other than the gift of helping other starting business ventures. Don Weil, thank you! read more

SCORE has been a tremendous asset for me. :::Counselors::: General The filter process from the front desk to getting assigned a counselor is a bit wonky, so expect some hit or miss meetings. In my case, none of the people I met with tried to sell me any services. Business Strategy & Planning I tried a few before I found one that really clicked with me and what I'm doing. My business model is foreign to him, but his principles apply and he has a keen eye for what is missing at any given moment and the next steps that need to follow. Given that I have never been to business school, this was a huge asset. Also, he assured me that business school is far from necessary (more so a true passion and drive). He proved the point by putting me in the right direction and sure enough, I could excel. HR Met with a really great guy in HR. He new his stuff from that angle, and from a general business perspective. Very easy to talk to, and showed how solid HR principles and practices are just good common sense (and very case to case). Legal Waste of time for the most part. They tell you that they can't legally advise you. :) Nice! So, you have to be very tricky about how you ask your questions, or rather, ask them what they would want to say to someone in your scenario (not advise particularly). It's truly like talking to a lawyer you A) haven't paid for & B) have no specific contract with. :) :::Classes:::: Freaking awesome. Granted, you could get 2 opposing answers from 2 different instructors about the same thing (hoping to see a forum show down someday), but still... most of them really know their stuff and will teach you a great deal about what you came there to learn. :) This ranges from general business info to business type specifics (music industry, clothing, etc.) to how to get organized. The latter is really good by the way. Sounds so generic, but it can really boost your productivity / I highly recommend. !!!PARKING!!!! SF baby, the parking sucks. However, if you take the vroom vroom (scooter or MotYCycle) there is good parking just down 1st street (from Market) as you pass the bus station. Paid is on the alley to the right, free to the alley on the left. and if those are taken, you can keep going down and there are more motorcycle spots to the right and left (Folsom). And if you come back up second, you got some spots just where the freeway lets out, and on up second. I don't recommend looking on the North side of Market though... tends to be full and a pain in the ass to deal with the traffic there. Google Map of Motorcycle parking: http://purplemoments.com/sfparking/index.html read more

This place is rad (so far). I'm in the middle of a business plan course and was directed by our facilitator to seek additional business plan advice here - best advice for advice ever! I was teamed up with a counselor/mentor who is razor sharp, doesn't treat me like an idiot and follows up with me regarding my progress. This kind of assistance is invaluable and one of those rare times the metaphorical lunch is actually free. In fairness, I should mention that I haven't used any of their other services yet, but can confidently give them the highest possible rating based on my experience to date. Whether you're in the concept phase or already opened your doors, you have nothing to lose by checking them out. read more

Excellent business resource for the budding or growing small business owner. Mentoring, low cost workshops and great way to meet other business owners. read more

SCORE - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love getting candid, actionable advice from Gary, my SCORE advisor. I came in a year ago with ideas to start my company and now it's getting off the ground. I find that opinions from all corner are out there, but not all are useful. Experienced perspective counts when starting a business for the first time. That's what you can find at SCORE. read more

My mentor is quite helpful. Always there for a sounding board and good orderly direction.

I'm only giving this specific office of a national organization two stars because of my experiences only in this location. I did get some good advice here, so there's a couple of stars, but I think they need to improve. I didn't go to business school, and when starting up my own company this past Spring, I needed some advice, and SCORE is free, so there I was. I met with two counselors on two separate occasions, and attended one seminar they held on tax advice for small businesses. The seminar, instructed by Lee Riley, was fantastic. I followed his advice and think he helped me come out on top of my business finances. Go Lee. The individual counseling sessions provided marginal value. The first time, I took home some photcopied documents covering various subjects of starting a business, and some decent advice from the counselor. But he didn't seem to understand my business very well and he kept telling me he came from a different field, so he couldn't entirely relate. My second meeting with a counselor was not worth my time. I met with a gentleman who after me explaining my business model several times, still couldn't understand my business. I felt like he was a broken record. I needed some advice on financial planning and small business advice - like how to hire an actual CFP or something, and instead of guiding me through that process, he gave me his personal card and told me he would help me either through SCORE, or through his consulting business. That's fine if I actually found the guy useful or competent, but I did not. So then I was at a dead end when he didn't seem to want to help me find that CFP when that was one of my main objectives of the day. My business is pretty darn basic. It's not a crazy or new type of business model, or hard to understand - so, I can't seem to figure out how I caused so much confusion. Summing it up: 1. Between the two counseling sessions, I found pretty much all of the same information they gave me, either verbally, or through photocopied literature, on the SBA Web site. So, I had no real need for meeting in person. 2. I found that out of my three visits, two of the people I interfaced with offered heir personal services, which raises ethical questions in my mind of whether they are there to provide you unbiased FREE counseling, or for personal gain. My last instance...while I think he thought he was being helpful, it felt to me that his offer (of personal consulting services) impeded me getting the real assistance that I needed. 3. FInally, I think that if SCORE has a counselor in there, they should be knowledgeable about all kinds of business models and industries. Sure, they could have been a big cheese somewhere, but if they are tasked with providing general advice, I think they should have a general understanding of MANY types of business structures. read more

When I heard about Score, I was so excited and eager to get some assistance in incorporating my new business. When I made the appointment, I stated specifically the area of expertise that I was seeking. I was assured that Score could help me and was told to come in. My husband and I took the day off from work thinking the session with Score would be much too valuble for our new business for either of us to miss. When we arrived, we were told to log-in on the computer instead of signing in on paper. We spend precious time preparing for the session by answering in detail the questions that Score had requested us to do before the session. When we met with the counselor, we presented the answers to him. I got a sick feeling when he neglected to read them. He just looked at the four page document and said,"it's interesting". We told him that we needed advice in incorporating our new business, he commence to discourage us with negatives and he talked on and on about totally unrelated issues. We attempted to ask questions about incorporating a company and he became frustrated and quickly ended the session. We were so disappointed. I would advise all others to not waste your time with this organization because it seems that they only want you to log-in so as to keep their bottom-line. They are obviously funded by the number of people who log-in to their program. My husband and I lost two days pay and wasted our time in the process. read more

I had an appointment with John Dellar, who made my head spin with information, but I walked out with a priority task list and several things to think about. After my second experience with SCORE, I'd say that it's a must have for any entrepreneur. read more

SCORE is the very best place to go, if you are serious about starting a business. The team of counselors are great, the very best. And all of the services are free. I work with a team of the best counselors: My counselor and my friend: Huyla Koc, she cares about me so much, even when during her vocation, she still write e-mail to me, help me, support me and guide me. The advises she gave to me are so valuable, truly helped me stay focus and understands the problems with my business. Plus, she is such a loving person, always supports me like best friend. My counselor Gary Geschwind, he is marketing and pricing expert, he always helps me understand the market I am in, especially he guides in my business direction: what I should do, and what not to do. His advises in pricing are so great, and he helped me getting into a profitable business which I was not sure I would change my direction. My new counselor Steve Gordon, a super smart man, he is " very good at quickly analyzing a problem and efficently arriving at solutions." He is expert at legal issues and online business. There were two more great counselors: Kieth Mercier is great at fashion and retail side. The advises he gave to me I can never forget. But sadly he is too busy to be counselor any more. I missed him and I hope one day he will be proud he was my counselor at SCORE. His support and advise have been in mind guiding my business even he is no longer my counselor any more. Michael Wray is another great counselor, he is very sharp and strait forward. He is taking a break and hopefully he will be back soon. I hope my review can help you, if you want to start a business, do not miss this opportunity. SCORE is five star, the counselors are five star! read more

For business owners and those thinking about it, SCORE is a fantastic resource! They are knowledgeable, helpful, resourceful, and offer extensive experience that is city specific. They know the ins and outs of the City starting from paperwork, taxes, and financing and all the way to legal, marketing, research, and sales channels. They offer training sessions too. What questions do you have about starting, managing, and expanding your business? The SCORE team has the answer, and it is free. ------ Personal Experience: I found SCORE on-line and decided to try it out. At the time, I was new in SF and still researching my start up. They helped me figure out what type of business was right for me and where to file paperwork. Then, they answered my legal and tax related questions and helped me find a lawyer and accountant by pointing me in reliable directions. They even offered to take a look at my research and pointed to areas that I had missed or didn't think of at all. As it turns out, the first meeting that I had at SCORE was with someone who offered 20+ years of experience in the area of my start up. And she was happy to give me all the advice that I could handle. She even showed up at a financing event to provide support and advice on the spot. Guess where I will be going for my next business related question? read more

I was laid off about 1 month ago. Since then I have been gathering information about starting my own business. I mainly needed someone with a lawyer sense to bounce some ideas off of and discuss my future professional responsibilities. My appointments at SCORE, with Eli Frank, have been a tremendous resource in trying to figure how best to go about starting my own business. The knowledge that my SCORE adviser gives me is so helpful... and it's FREE!!! I feel like I can get a lot out of the appointment each and every visit. I usually bring a list of questions in and shoot them off one by one. I get only constructive answers. He doesn't judge. We are all trying to make it in this world and I feel SCORE is such a great asset to all potential small businesses. 5 STARS for SCORE!! Thank you so much for your help:):) read more

Excellent! The staff have greatly helped our business to grow by recommending resources and nudging us in the right direction. I recommend Score to anyone starting a business for the first time. read more

I've been working at SCORE with Jason the past few months. He is very knowledgable, supportive and realistic about my ideas and how I can achieve them. SCORE is a great place to get advice about business ideas. read more

After spending weeks trying to educate myself on business practices I took a class at The Small Business Admin. The class answered most of my questions and the questions I didn't get answered, Eli Frank, a SCORE mentor, gave me. The SBA classes are fantastic!! I plan on taking a few more. Eli Frank is wonderful!! I appreciate that he talked at my level, but never talked down to me. He gave me all the information I needed to get moving forward on my new business. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ELI ! ! ! read more

I highly recommend them to any one that its in the starting stages of their business or in the middle of madness when it comes to help with a clearer view of the whole picture, SCORE comes in very handy. Juan E read more

Keep up the good work! Their service has been incredibly helpful, and I am very thankful!

Very helpful and my mentors always been there to provide guidance and put me on the proper path to answer any questions I may have.

I've been working with SCORE for 2.5 months now and the process has gone extremely well. At first I was a little skeptical about how the process would work as it was free but from the get go everything has worked well for me. Based on my business idea Hulya was assigned to help provide me with guidance. As we've continued to move forward she has been exceptional in her support and insight along with her willingness to accommodate my schedule. I still have a ton of work to do but look forward to receiving continued support from Hulya and SCORE. More to come..... read more

I have to say that I have been working with SCORE for the last 8 months and it has been an amazing experience. My counselor has been a savior to me since our very first meeting and as a result I have been given the guidance and confidence to successfully launch my business just this last month. I came in to SCORE with an idea and ultimately knowing what I wanted for my business. But I had a lot of fear around the concept of starting a business on my own having no personal knowledge of business plans, marketing, planning, accounting, legal issues etc. From the inception of my idea to the present day of being open for business, SCORE has been there for me 100%. Not only have I had weekly follow up meetings with my primary counselor, I have also had the opportunity to meet with other SCORE counselors who specialize in various areas. I was also able to take several classes and attend free (or inexpensive) seminars through SCORE or other affiliated agencies that really helped me focus. Areas that have been covered: business plan writing, market analysis, competitor analysis, marketing strategies, contract writing, pricing, legal issues, business registration, accounting etc. I often brag to friends that SCORE is a gem that I was fortunate enough to stumble across in that it feels like I get to have "business therapy" on a weekly basis; ideas and suggestions are presented in a realistic and objective way that I would have never gotten on my own. I had a lot of assumptions about starting a business and I had to be able to recognize that I needed help and be willing to take the suggestions given to me if I was going to benefit from SCORE services. I would have never gotten anything out of this experience had I gone into it assuming that SCORE was going to start my business for me. It has been hard work but such valuable and rewarding hard work! I recommend SCORE to anyone with a business idea and a willingness to do the work to get results. Thank you SF SCORE! read more

My Mentor is wonderful. I have been meeting with him for about 6 months and I always come away from our meetings with some new insights and strategies. He has been tremendously helpful. Having someone with so much experience to talk to about my start-up has been a big boost. Thank you Score! read more

When my business partner and I wanted to grow our small interior design consultancy we looked to a SCORE counselor in SF for advice and guidance. Hulya has been so patient with our smallest question and supportive of our wildest dream. Being that she is already an accomplished entrepreneur herself we feel so confident that her advice is coming from time-proven practice and experience rather than from theory. Starting a small business is never easy and when in a "not-so-recession-proof" industry like design, it is reassuring to know that we have an ally like Score and Hulya. My advice to anyone new or seasoned at starting a small business is that there is always more to learn to sharpen your skills - simply having someone to bounce ideas off of or for sophisticated business tax classes, SCORE has been invaluable to us. read more

I tried many times to contact a counselor in my area, Denver, CO. I explained about my kind business in their registration site, but probably for the kind of Business "eCommerce" or "Online Business" no one contact me back until now, three years later. Actually, my business is growing so fast, selling online around the world and not locally, from my apartment, without the advice of a Score counselor, I dont know if Score people only support brick small business or local small business. Also, Score offer most of their seminaries or workshop for a FEE. Some of that information from the seminaries or workshops you can find it ONLINE for FREE. this is what I had to do since no one contact me back from Score read more

Six months ago, I began the venture of opening up my clothing business in SF. After discovering SCORE, I made an appointment and was paired up with Hulya. Upon our first meeting she was professional, extremely present, warm but stern, and a fountain of information. She took her time explaining the steps I needed to take to start up my business. Hulya and I mostly kept in touch via email after our first meeting and I was touched by her sincere interest in my success. One day she even emailed that she had gone to the locations I had mentioned I liked for my business to give me a experienced second opinion. I felt this was going way beyond the call of duty. Hulya has taken on a very active role in my venture, both emotionally and professionally. When times have been challenging, I have seek guidance and advice from her. When times have been promising and exciting, I have looked forward to sharing the good news with her. I highly recommended SCORE for anyone seeking help for their small business. The staff is always helpful and friendly, and a ton of free or reasonably priced resources are available including classes such as bookkeeping, excel spreadsheets, and marketing courses. Thank you SCORE and H. read more

SCORE is an incredible resource both for the wealth of information that they have there and for the counselors. My partner and I discovered SCORE and a terrific counselor who we return to time after time for all kinds of advice. I shudder to think what we would have paid for these services if we didn't have this organization. There are also classes (mostly free) which we have taken advantage of. read more

Score is a hidden gem in San Francisco. If you are looking for professional, credible and free advice on virtually any topic any small-mid size business faces, I recommend you work with Score. Score has helped my business on a range of topics from Entity Formation to HR and other legal questions that have popped up. Most recently an hour session (free) with Eli Frank was incredibly helpful. Eli is a retired attorney and is a no nonsense kind of man. He is approachable, bright, quick, knowledgeable, helpful and is in your corner. He had answers to all of our answers, kept us focused and invited us to come back should our legal needs arise again. We covered a lot of ground in just an hour and I am now able to strengthen the fine print of our contracts reducing our risks down the road. I've worked with and known many lawyers over the last 25 years and I can assure you Eli Frank is among the best. You are in friendly, capable and caring hands. read more