SCORE: Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur & Write a Business Plan

BETTING ON YOURSELF: THE TRANSITION FROM EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR

Tori Tolbert, a SCORE mentor, will help you to step out of the day-to-day grind and start thinking like the person actually building the business. She will break down the mindset shift required to move from doing the work to leading the work—so you can stop reacting to jobs and start making intentional decisions that drive growth. You’ll learn why structure beats hustle every time, and how putting the right systems, pricing strategy, and financial foundation in place early can save you from the most common (and costly) mistakes. You’ll walk away with a simple, practical framework for making decisions like an owner—evaluating opportunities, managing risk, and thinking long-term instead of just chasing the next paycheck.

HOW TO RESEARCH AND WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN

Carleton Smith, a SCORE mentor, will show you how to take what’s in your head and turn it into a clear, actionable plan you can use to guide your next steps. He will walk through the SCORE business plan template, which helps you to organize the research you’ll do on your market and competition. You’ll define your ideal customer so you’re not guessing—you’re making informed decisions. By the end, you’ll have a simple framework to build your own business plan—one you can use to stay focused, attract funding if needed, and confidently move from idea to execution.

Carleton is a SCORE Mentor.