Central Illinois SCORE provides free and confidential business counseling tailored to meet the needs of your small business. Whether you are just starting a business or expanding an established business, SCORE counselors are here to help you succeed.

Our office hours are from 9:00 AM to noon, Monday, Wednesday and Friday except for holidays.  Please complete an application, (not yet available on line for our chapter) mail it to us and one of our counselors will contact you.  If necessary, special meeting places and times can be set by mutual agreement with the individual counselor.

There is no charge for counseling, no matter how many sessions are needed. Each session will last about one hour. We will continue to be interested in your progress, so follow-up sessions are encouraged. Counseling is available to all U.S. citizens over the age of 13.
Contact webmaster@central-illinois-score.org or call 309-664-0549 to set up an appointment to meet with a business counselor to develop your business plan, discuss a new idea or tackle a business problem.

How it Works

Generally your first session is conducted at our office.  Counselors will talk with you about your needs. They will listen to your ideas and help you determine the feasibility of your business plans. They can act as counselor or coach. They can review your cash flow or help you develop marketing plans. For this first session you should be prepared to share your business plan or at least describe your ideas. You should expect your counselors to ask you a few questions. To help you prepare we suggest you review the typical questions on our Planning Your SessionPage.

If your counselor feels that your needs would be better met by other resources, the counselor will refer you to those resources. Sometimes that could be another counselor, who is more experienced in your business, or it could be another agency, such as the Small Business Development Center .

After the first appointment, you will probably be asked to do some additional research or planning activities. Then you and your counselor will agree on another meeting at a time and place convenient to both of you. In the meantime, you may share ideas or be in touch by e-mail or phone. Remember, there is never any charge for the counseling and all information is always treated confidentially.

You control the relationship. You set the appointment and decide when and if additional sessions are needed. You decide what to talk about and when to end the relationship. Some clients come only once, but others return many times. It's up to you. It's your business and our counseling can only help.

To send us a request for counseling click on the link below.