We begin dreaming of success at a very young age. From humble lemonade stands to paper routes, children dream of making it big one day. Now that we’ve gotten a little older, many people are realizing that they still have grand dreams and great ideas that they’d like to make a reality. But without setting up a plan to make a business work, those dreams have a greater possibility of falling through.
That’s where SCORE East Idaho comes in.
Since 1985, the East Idaho chapter of SCORE has worked to assist small businesses start up and grow with the help of other local businessmen who know the ropes of making an idea into a business, and want to lend a hand to others who want to do the same, without any cost to them.
“We have people with a lot of different backgrounds and experiences in business [as counselors],” said Gary Johnsen, former chair of SCORE East Idaho. “We have about 15 people; some are entrepreneurs, some are former [INL] Site managers, some are real estate agents and one of us is an attorney.”
With the diversity of businessmen that is available, any future businessmen can receive the right kind of help for whatever situation they’re in.
Learning how to perform every single aspect of business planning and function is covered by SCORE. Basic tools are given to help a new business owner lay the bricks to get started, including financing, marketing, operations, and even the legal portion of doing business. Established businesses can take part in advising as well; there’s plenty of advice on how to continue growing or revitalize their plan to bring in more customers.
With the right tools and guidance from people who have walked in the shoes of a new business owner, even small ideas can blossom into a success.
You can find out more about SCORE and learn how to register for workshops or become a counselor at scoreideast.org, or by calling (208) 523-1022, ext. 220.
--Lacey Larson
