A recent study conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration cites SCORE as a trusted, FREE small business resource and the organization’s reputation as the primary reason why today’s entrepreneurs seek counsel from its 13,000+ volunteer mentors every year. Since its inception in 1964, SCORE has assisted more than 9 million aspiring entrepreneurs nationwide in their efforts to start and grow their own small businesses, and they’ve done so completely free-of-charge.

The report also highlights the fact that businesses that avail themselves of entrepreneurial opportunities and counseling services early on have a greater success rate overall.

“This year SCORE will help even more small businesses start and grow, improving the economic vitality of local communities,” said SCORE CEO Ken Yancey in a February 6 statement. “Our commitment to the American entrepreneur has never been stronger and our free resources have never been more effective and easier to find and use. “

For more information about how you can start and/or more successfully operate a small business of your own, call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE chapter near you, or visit SCORE at https://www.score.org/. You can also connect with SCORE at https://www.facebook.com/SCOREFans and https://twitter.com/#!/scorementors.

For the full text of SBA’s final Impact Study of Entrepreneurial Resources: Face-to-Face Counseling report, click here now!