Our Chamber provides an outlet to several entities offering business support. In addition to maintaining a relationship with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) at Southeastern Louisiana University, we are also affiliated with SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) Northshore.

SCORE Northshore is part of SCORE, a nationwide nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. SCORE Northshore provides face-to-face business mentoring and workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. Over 50 years old, SCORE has over 13,000 volunteers through 364 chapters across the country.

The Northshore Chapter serves the three-parish area of Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Washington parishes. Counseling sessions are available at the Business Resource Center of the St. Tammany Parish Library in Mandeville.

SCORE Northshore provides free and confidential one-on-one business counseling tailored to meet the needs of your small business and your personal objectives. Initial counseling sessions are conducted between SCORE volunteers and the small business client, and normally last one hour. They help small businesses from the start-up phase through operating issues and expansion opportunities. Many of their clients use SCORE volunteers as mentors or advisors on a continuing basis.

They also provide free business tools, templates and tips on their website, and inexpensive or free business workshops (locally) and webinars (online 24/7).

SCORE volunteers are real-world professionals with time-tested knowledge who together donate thousands of hours to help small businesses succeed. Counselors are experts in such areas as accounting, finance, marketing, management and business plan preparation. They have assisted many clients in obtaining business loans.

For more information on the services SCORE Northshore provides, visit their website at www.northshore.score.org where you can view upcoming workshops and webinars, or sign up for face-to-face mentoring.