Perhaps time to visit.

This is our fourteenth monthly newsletter. Wow!

I was surprised when I looked over the titles of my monthly columns and realized that I have never mentioned our websites. The “home page” of our national website (www.score.org) changes periodically. If you go there right now, you will find many subjects about Cash and the Economy. Relevant topics in today’s world.

You can click on “How to Pay Business Debts You Can’t Afford” and you get valuable information about how and when to negotiate with your creditors for lowering your debt. This can reduce your financial stress in these times. And there is more. This site has been raved about by the most experienced business experts since it covers all business topics well. Few do. Worth exploring.

How to's.

One section of the SCORE National website that never changes is the titles down the left side. Click on “How To” and you will find advice on starting, managing, growing, and financing your business. Priceless stuff. Click on “Business Tools” and you will find, among other things, templates for how to develop a Business Plan and for each financial component of your business plan. For example, there are Excel spreadsheets for a 12-month or a 4-year Cash Flow Statement, Profit & Loss Projection, and Balance Sheet, to name only a few.

Tools.

On the “Business Tools” page, you can click on “Palo Alto’s Sample Business Plans” to find real companies’ business plans in alphabetical order by type of company. You can also type in any other type of company to search for the type of company you are planning. Be aware that Palo Alto charges for some of the plans, so be sure to choose one of the many free plans. These plans are helpful because they provide an example of a successful business plan for that particular industry.

Help from the comfort of your home.

Also always on the Home Page of the SCORE National website is a place where you can get advice from a SCORE counselor via the internet by typing in your question. One of our more than 10,500 counselors in the United States who has expertise on the subject you selected will answer your question within 48 hours.

The local dimension:

The Cedar Rapids SCORE Chapter serves Linn, Jones, Benton, and Cedar counties; our chapter website is www.scorecr.org. There you can view all of our prior Newsletters, beginning with the October 1, 2007, issue.
The CR SCORE Chapter website also provides information about our seminars and how you can get free, confidential, one-on-one counseling.

Jean Kruse
SCORE® Chairperson and CPA (retired)

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Questions remain? Call SCORE®

We continue to be available to assist start-up or existing businesses at 2750 First Avenue NE, Suite 350 (Map).  Our phone number there is 319-362-6405, extension 2005.

FREE help:

Do you need advice on starting a business?  SCORE® wants to be your business advisor and we'll do it for FREE.  Call SCORE® today and make an appointment to visit with a counselor.