SEATTLE SCORE – HOW TO START A BUSINESS WORKSHOP

Today I went to a workshop about starting a new business. I was an anomaly in that I already have a business. I wanted to attend the seminar to fill in the gaps  of what I’ve learned as well as meet some similar folks in the area.
It was put on by an organization called SCORE. Their aim is to help out fledgling small businesses and provide insight to running a small business. The course was taught by industry professionals with experience in the small business/startup realm. Another focus of SCORE is their counseling program where an established business person agrees to meet with a business owner to talk through business issues and give guidance. It’s kind of a mentorship program.

The highlights for me were the law session. It was really informative about how the law deals with intellectual property and how to go about protecting yourself and your intellectual property. It’s something that I’m very interested in because of the ramifications it has on the web. There is constant debate about copyright, and ownership, especially in the area of user-generated content. So I paid close attention and asked a lot of questions.

Overall I would say that it was a very beneficial investment of a day, and $85. I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about starting their own business. It’s not just in Seattle either. SCORE is a national organization. I think they said that there are 55 chapters nationally, so look them up on www.score.org.