SCORE
At a Glance
Take the free mentor and ask specifically for one who has owned a business; the price is right and the accountability is real, but keep your deal team professional.
- Pricing
- Free, Mentoring is free with no cap on sessions, meetings run about an hour by phone, video, email or in person, and the reply usually comes inside two days. The national workshops are tagged free.
- Best For
- A free sounding board with operating scars, especially valuable before the deal, when what you need is someone who has run a business asking you hard questions
- Roadmap Stages
- 1. Learn & Choose Your Path2. Define & Test Your Thesis
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free, unlimited, and nationwide, with remote mentoring available regardless of location
- Mentors are volunteers with real operating backgrounds rather than salespeople
- Backed by the SBA partner network, so it connects naturally to lender and program resources
Cons
- Mentor quality and acquisition fluency vary widely; many mentors have never bought or sold a company
- Advice runs generalist, so deal-specific questions (valuation, structure, SBA mechanics) usually need specialists anyway
- Volunteer scheduling moves slower than a paid advisor
What Searchers Say
A decades-old institution with broadly positive sentiment for early-stage guidance. The honest expectation set by users: excellent for free perspective and accountability, not a substitute for deal professionals; ask for a mentor who has owned or sold a business.