Rochester Business Alliance | Small Business Assistance Center

The Rochester Business Allliance's Small Business Assistance Center connects entrepreneurs and business owners with experts who can advise them on a host of issues, including business plan development, financing and marketing.

The center is staffed by two different groups who have office hours on different days, the Small Business Development Center and SCORE Rochester.

To make an appointment, contact the RBA at (585) 244-1800 and ask the receptionist to schedule one for you. Please specify which organization you prefer to see, or whether you simply want the first available appointment with either group.

About the counseling groups:

The Small Business Development Center at the College at Brockport has office hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. (For 2011, that's April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, Aug. 3, Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7.)

SBDC is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Clients at the center will meet with Jim Soufleris, a certified business adviser, speaker and trainer who has been with SBDC for 12 years.

The organization's services are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. SBA counselors cannot endorse any products, opinions or services of any external parties or activities.

SCORE Rochester counselors are available on the third Thursday of each month. (For 2011, that is March 17, April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15.)

In addition to in-house counseling, SCORE also offers SMART counseling - which stands for SCORE Management Assessment and Review Team. The program, which starts with a meeting at the center, offers free and confidential counseling to ongoing small businesses to help them identify opportunities for improvement. A team of SCORE counselors will work with key staff members of the business to identify tactical changes that would position a business for growth and increased profitability.

SCORE is a nationwide non-profit association under the auspices of the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is composed of volunteers who share their management and technical expertise with owners/managers of small business and those who want to start their own small businesses. SCORE Rochester is the chapter that covers Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties, and the eastern half of Genesee and Orleans counties. It has more than 50 members who counsel and present workshops throughout these counties.

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