NSF Startup Funding Webinar
2024-03-27 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Learn about best practices and strategies to help you craft a
compelling National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Pitch.
This workshop will include tips to help you meet requirements
of the Project Pitch’s four key elements: Technology
Innovation, Technical Objectives and Challenges, Market
Opportunity, and The Company and Team.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to connect with NSF
Program Director and ask direct questions about the NSF SBIR
program. There will be 10 minute One-on-One sessions after
the presentation for additional questions and answers to
anyone interested.

Small Business, Big Protection: The Role of LLCs and Operating Agreements
2024-04-18 18:00 - 19:30
Join us for an enlightening workshop that delves into the pivotal role of Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) and the critical importance of Operating Agreements. In this comprehensive session, participants will gain a deep understanding of how LLCs can serve as a versatile and advantageous business structure, offering both liability protection and flexibility.

Startup and Start Right
2024-07-30 12:00 - 13:00
Ready to turn your business idea into reality? This webinar untangles the startup process and guides you through 10 essential steps. We’ll navigate licenses, taxes, business structure, funding, and more with clear explanations and actions to take!

LAUNCH LAB: 7 WEEKS TO STARTUP SUCCESS
2024-09-12 18:00 - 2024-10-24 21:00
During this seven-week cohort, aspiring entrepreneurs gain essential business skills,
insights, tools, resources, and peer networks vital for launching and expanding successful
businesses. At the end of the experience you will have a complete business plan.
Classes are held on Thursday nights from 6:00pm-9:00pm at JCCC. Dinner is included.
Business Strategy
This immersive 7-week course is designed to provide information, tips, exercises and tools to help you think about your business idea. At the end of Launch Lab you will have a complete
business plan.
You’ll work to:
Explore how your business concept
aligns with your personal vision.
Assess and align your business concept
with real market opportunities.
Identify your target market and uncover
your competitive advantage.
Define the distinctive features and
benefits of your product or service.
Develop realistic financial goals for your
business.
Establish your company’s brand and
marketing strategy.
Master business operations and
cultivate an organizational culture.
Outline the path to profitability.
Explore potential funding sources for
your business.
Prepare for the launch of your business.

How to Start and Manage Your Own Business
2025-05-03 09:30 - 11:30 | Online Event
Do you have what it takes to start and run a successful business? If so, what are the first steps you should take? This workshop will help you assess your prospects, give you the initial direction you need, and inspire you to move forward to realize your dream. In addition, you will have an opportunity to NETWORK with other business-minded people who are considering starting a business.
Topics covered are:

It all starts with a PLAN – A BUSINESS PLAN
Marketing for today’s small business.
What is the right legal business structure for my business?
What should I know about licenses, taxes, and insurance?
What technology considerations are important for my business?
An introduction to the financial side of a business. Where do I get funding?
Our 3-Point approach to Business Education – Basic Business, Business Topic, and Interactive Business Education

Takeaways:

What is needed to start a business
What are the key parts of a business
The need for a plan – A BUSINESS PLAN
What is the next Step-Attend our next Business Plan Workshop

Presenter Bios:
Robert Pennell: Building a business takes commitment and determination – not to mention patience. I’ve successfully developed a business plan, secured institutional financing, recruited necessary personnel, and promoted the start-up of my legal practice so I know what needs to be done. For ongoing success you have to build a loyal client base. In my case that was through personal attention, quality service and consistent follow through but every business model is different. The key is to identify your core market and determine the best way to drive business to that market which is much easier said than done. Through SCORE we can help you to answer these questions. I’d like to be able to help you move your business goals forward through SCORE.
Keith Vollmar: For 20 years I have worked with businesses from $1.0 to $100.0 million in sales with the following activities and services: Part-Time CFO Roles Business Plan Development Cash Flow Forecasting Establish and Maintain Banking Relationships Educate Owners on financial statements Analyze Financial Statement results and information Establish Key Performance Indicators – Both financial and non-financial
Thomas Meyer: is a sales and marketing professional with a 37 year history of accomplishments in strategic selling, sales and product management and business development. Per Tom, “The key to my success in working with large corporate clients is to follow strategic selling principles, as well as, provide solution and servant based approaches with my clients. My goal with this panel is to help our SCORE clients develop effective sales and marketing plans, secure mutually successful long term customer relationships and to grow sales and revenue.
Registration Information:

Upon registering you will receive a confirmation email with the SCORE Zoom link to attend.
You do not need a Zoom account to participate.
Please connect 5 minutes in advance to be sure you have a good connection. The workshop begins promptly at 09:30AM and concludes by 11:30AM Central Time.

SCORE strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact: Score St Louis Chapter Admin, ch.admin0021@scorevolunteer.org, 866 726-7340.

Solopreneurship 101
2025-05-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Online Event
Working for yourself is amazing … provided you know how to make it work. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve got a great idea or are good at your craft yet don’t know exactly what you’re doing in running a business, you’re not alone.
In this session, you’ll learn the basics of what you need to know in order to set yourself
up for success, including:
• Mindset & Motivation
• Policies & Procedures
• Branding & Promotions
• And more!
Whether you’re looking to make the jump, are just starting out, or needing a kickstart … and whether you call it freelancing, consulting, solopreneurship or the like, this session will give you the tools you need to rock the self-employed life.
Faculty: Julie Cortés. Copywriter by day, Freelance Rockstar by night, Julie Cortés has run her own business for more than 25 years. Best known as the founder of The Freelance Exchange of KC—a professional
organization for self-employed advertising / marketing professionals, Julie created her own much-needed college-level course, Freelancing 101, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the KC Art Institute. Recognized with awards dozens of times over for her work, leadership, volunteerism and community involvement, she’s regularly sought out for media interviews, public speaking, and business coaching. Julie is loving life, living out her passion of helping solopreneurs succeed. Learn more at juliecortes.com.

Developing A Business Plan
2025-05-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Online Event
In this workshop, business owners will learn the eight parts of a business plan and what to consider when writing one. At the end of the workshop, business owners will have a blueprint or first draft of a business plan.
Presenter’s Bio: Regions Bank is a Fortune 500 company committed to keeping customers first, providing tech-driven convenience and being a strong community partner. As part of that partnership we offer tips, tools and resources designed to help you stay on track and safeguard your future. Click here for more information
Registration Information:

Upon registering you will receive a confirmation email. The confirmation will contain a Regions Bank Webex link to attend online.
You do not need a Webex account to participate.
Please connect 5 minutes in advance to be sure you have a good connection. The workshop begins promptly at 12 PM and concludes by 1 PM Central Time.

SCORE strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact: Score St Louis Chapter Admin, ch.admin0021@scorevolunteer.org, 866 726-7340.

Small Business Success: Mastering the Essentials
2025-08-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
About the event

Running a business requires more than just a great idea—it takes strategy, financial literacy, and operational know-how. This workshop will provide new and existing entrepreneurs with an understanding of what is needed to build a sustainable business. We’ll cover essential topics such as business planning, marketing, and financial management to ensure long-term success.
Key Takeaways:

Learn how to create a business model that works
Understand branding and marketing fundamentals
Discover key financial tools for profitability
Identify common challenges and how to navigate them
Understand how to develop a strategy for long-term business growth

This is the first Workshop in the three part series Small Business Success: Mastering the Essentials. Session 2 – Polishing Your Business Idea, Marketing Strategy & Social Media Marketing and Session 3 – Demystifying Financial Foundations, Funding Your Businesss Dream & Creating Realistic Financial Projections.

Small Business Success: Mastering the Essentials
2025-09-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
Running a business requires more than just a great idea—it takes strategy, financial literacy, and operational know-how. This workshop will provide new and existing entrepreneurs with an understanding of what is needed to build a sustainable business. We’ll cover essential topics such as business planning, marketing, and financial management to ensure long-term success.

Starting a Consulting/ Coaching/ Advisory Business 201
2026-01-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Online Event
Cost: $10.00

This is a follow-on program from Starting a Consulting/ Coaching/ Advisory Business 101. If you are already in business or have a foundation in consulting, this program will help you take the next steps. We will focus on getting clients, taking good care of them and avoiding the consultant’s paradox. How should you do invoicing – in advance or in arrears? What are your key performance indicators? And we will have time to answer any specific questions. This will be all real life, no theory. Come prepared to take notes and be ready to take action tomorrow morning.

All attendees will receive a free copy of Steve’s book: “Simplify Everything”

Presenter’s Bio: Steve Epner is a successful entrepreneur. He started an international association, a consulting practice, taught innovation and entrepreneurship in the MBA program at Saint Louis University, and after flunking retirement, became the Entrepreneur In Residence for Boeing. Steve was the Chairman of the Gateway Venture Mentoring Service, the St Louis Innovation Roundtable, and had managed the St Louis Regional Entrepreneurship Educators. His goal is to give back to the community that helped him be successful.
Registration Information:

Upon registering you will receive a confirmation email with the SCORE Zoom link to attend.
You do not need a Zoom account to participate.
Please connect 5 minutes in advance to be sure you have a good connection. The workshop begins promptly at 6:00 PM and concludes by 1:00 PM Central Time

SCORE strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact: Score St Louis Chapter Admin, ch.admin0021@scorevolunteer.org, 866 726-7340

Polishing Your Business Idea
2026-01-24 13:30 - 15:30 | Online Event
In this **FREE Webinar**, this session Polishing Your Business Idea provides step-by-step guidance in researching your idea, your market, and your competition.
At the end of the Polishing Your Business Idea webinar, you are able to:
* Identify your target markets
* Describe your products/services
* Collect key competitive information to support your feasibility plan
This is part of the second Workshop Group (Polishing Your Business Idea, Marketing Strategy & Social Media Marketing) in SCORE’s three-part series: Workshop 1 – Small Business Success: Mastering the Essentials, and Workshop Group 3 – Demystifying Financial Foundations, Funding Your Dream & Creating Realistic Financial Projections.
Faculty: Ed Doering. Ed has thirty years in the marketing field, with experience in all facets of the marketing process, including strategic planning, customer analysis, brand management, competitive analysis, PR, advertising, budgeting, forecasting, market planning, market research, product positioning, pricing, sales training, etc. He started out his career in mainframe computer sales with Burroughs, then moved into marketing at Sprint and Black Hills Energy, delivering successful sales and marketing programs. Ed holds a BBA/MBA from University of Missouri-Kansas City, Henry Block School of Business.
Please connect at least 5 minutes in advance to be sure you have a good connection. The webinar starts promptly at 1:30 PM and concludes by 3:30 PM.

Foodpreneur's Boot Camp
2026-02-09 08:00 - 2026-03-23 17:00 | Online Event
6-week virtual, statewide, restaurant and food truck start-up program

When: February 9th – March 23rd
Weekly Zoom meetings
Wednesday at 12pm or Thursdays at 11am
Early bird cost: $75
Cost after 1/25/26: $99
Register: HERE
