The Sandhills Chapter of SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business) holds its popular Great Beginnings Seminar beginning at 6 p.m. next Wednesday in room 103 in Van Dusen Hall at Sandhills Community College.

This is part of the "Business Basics" series of six seminars jointly sponsored by SCORE and the Small Business Center of Sandhills Community College. Anyone wanting to register for the seminar can call 695-3938 at the Small Business Center of Sandhills Community College. There will also be registration available beginning at 5:30 on the evening of the seminar.

Great Beginnings (How to Start Your Business in the Right Direction) is designed to make entrepreneurs knowledgeable about the issues of starting a small business so that those first steps allow them to "move out smartly." Subjects to be covered include Small Business Administration resources available, business plan essentials, accounting, record keeping, tax issues, legal structure options, financing options and risk mitigation (such as insurance).

The six seminars in the series are being presented on six consecutive Wednesday evenings to accommodate the intended audience of current and prospective small business owners.

SCORE is a nationwide nonprofit association of experienced business people who provide free and confidential business counseling to small business owners. The Sandhills Chapter is very active in counseling, mentoring and presenting free business seminars.

For a counseling appointment, contact the Chapter on the Web at www.sandhillsscore.org or at 692-3926.

In addition to counseling by appointment, the Sandhills chapter of SCORE has members available for drop-in service from 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce building on U.S. 15-501 in Southern Pines.

The local SCORE Chapter is always seeking motivated volunteers.

More information on SCORE's counseling activity and a complete description of each seminar can be found at the Sandhills SCORE Web site, www.sandhillsscore.org.