Greater Knoxville Chapter

FAQs About Joining SCORE

What is SCORE's Vision?

SCORE's vision statement says that SCORE will be recognized as the pre-eminent association of experienced business counselors providing professional guidance and information through a national network of chapters, strategic alliances and a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. This will strengthen the local and national economy through the creation of successful small businesses.

Who are SCORE members?

SCORE members are successful, business professionals just like you. The men and women of SCORE have owned, operated and/or managed businesses. The skills of business counselors represent different talents, generations, ethnic groups and strengths. The variety of people and skills adds value to the quality of SCORE's business advice. Knoxville Counselor Bios

Do I Have To Be Retired To Join SCORE?

No. A number of SCORE members own businesses, manage corporations or own consulting firms. These working professionals contribute to SCORE as counselors and workshop presenters, just as our retired professionals volunteer. Both retired and working professionals are welcome in SCORE.

How Can I Join SCORE?

To request a SCORE membership application to join SCORE contact by phone at 865-692-0716 or

Why Does SCORE Interview Candidates Before Accepting Members?

There are many business people with exceptional business management skills. However, transferring business skills into a counseling and mentoring situation requires additional and different skills than a business owner or manager may have used in his or her career. The interview process allows both the SCORE chapter and the potential SCORE member to see if this volunteer opportunity is a good fit for the organization and potential counselor.

Why Do New SCORE Members Participate in a Training Program?

All new SCORE members participate in an orientation and training program, so they understand SCORE's mission, services and the opportunities for volunteer participation. The Counselor Professional Development Program also provides guidance on how to be a business counselor and apply new listening, interviewing and problem-solving skills -- specifically to business counseling and mentoring.

Why is SCORE important to Knoxville?

• FACT: Small businesses are a vital part of our community, and one of the most fragile.
• FACT: Nationally, 90% of all small business owners fail within three years.
• FACT: The failures of small businesses have serious repercussions throughout the community -- owners and employees are put out of work, and may have to apply for unemployment compensation. Suppliers lose business and are unable to collect monies owed them, and may even fail themselves. Local banks and financing agencies can't collect on their loans.

The Greater Knoxville SCORE Chapter provides consulting services to small businesses and potential small business owners. We currently counsel over 1,500 individuals each year; almost half are folks who want to start their own firms, the other half are small business owners who are faced with problems they don't quite know how to handle. Almost 50% of our clients are women; 10% are minorities. While each client's situation is unique, almost all of our clients need counseling in several areas, including marketing, finance, manufacturing, and insurance.

The whole Knoxville community benefits when SCORE is able to provide the counseling needed to make its clients successful. If only 10% (the national average) of the clients counseled by The Greater Knoxville SCORE Chapter are successful, this means that:

• Our community will have 120 new successful small business owners each year.
• Our community will have 60 new successful women small business owners each year.
• Our community will have12 new successful minority small business owners each year.
• If each of these businesses hires two employees, we'll have 240 new jobs each year.
• If each of these businesses buys $50,000 in supplies and services from local firms, this will add six million dollars to Knoxville's economy.

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