The Sandhills Chapter of SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business) presents the second in its popular Business Basics seminar series Tuesday, Feb. 7.

This seminar, titled Great Beginnings, begins at 6 p.m. in room 103 of Van Dusen Hall at Sandhills Community College.

The Business Basics series of six seminars, a valuable package for the motivated entrepreneur, is jointly sponsored by SCORE and the Small Business Center of Sandhills Community College. To register for the seminar, call the Small Business Center of Sandhills Community College at (910) 695-3938.

There will also be registration available beginning at 5:30 on the evening of the seminar.

Great Beginnings is designed to make the entrepreneur knowledgeable about the issues of starting a small business so that those first steps allow him (or her) to "move out smartly," a SCORE news release said.

Subjects to be covered include Small Business Adminstration resources available, business plan essentials, accounting, record keeping, tax issues, legal structure options, financing options and risk mitigation (insurance).

The seminars in the Business Basics series are being presented on consecutive Tuesday evenings through March 6 to accommodate the intended audience of current and prospective small business owners. Business owners who attend all of the five seminars, Feb. 7 through March 6, will be eligible to receive a $75 cash award from SCORE to apply to advertising expenses for their business.

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

Anyone who wants to speak to SCORE counselors must first register as a client at www.edmisscore.org/0364, and a counselor will contact you.

In addition to counseling by appointment, the Sandhills chapter of SCORE has drop-in service, for those who have registered, from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Fridays at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce building on U.S. 15-501 in Southern Pines. The phone number is (910) 692-3926.

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