Eddie: Thank you for joining our 2014 Small
Business Week Webinar: Small Business: Big Benefits. At this time, I would like to formally
begin tape conference and introduce Candice Stennett from SCORE.
Candice: Thanks, Eddie. Hello, everyone. My name is Candice. I'm the marketing manager
of SCORE. In just a moment, I will turn things over to Joe of Colonial Life to discuss employee
benefits but before I do, I'd like to chat with you about how you can get free advice
on H.R. strategies or any other business topic or challenge.
SCORE is America's small business resource. We offer free advice to this that wants to
start, grow or even exit the small businesses. We offer free and low cost workshops online
and in communities across the nation. SCORE was formed in 1964 as a resource partner
of the Small Business Administration. Since then, we've helped over 10,000,000 people
in pursuit of their business goals. We're proud to join the SBA in celebrating their
small business week and we're also celebrating our 50th anniversary. That's 50 years of helping
aspiring and existing entrepreneurs succeed. Since 2009 alone, we've helped over 200,000
businesses start, helped more than 230,000 businesses increase revenue and helped create
over 250,000 jobs. That's success that our mentors and small business clients are certainly
proud of. We're eager to work with you to increase those numbers in the future.
But how do we achieve this success? SCORE offers over 320 chapters with over 11,000
volunteers across the nation, providing free mentoring and local educational workshops.
We also offer free mentoring and a variety of business tools on SCORE.org.
If you have a question about writing a business plan, developing a social media strategy,
analyzing financial issues or offering employee benefits, our mentors are here to help. Our
volunteers are successful business centers or executive who've walked in your shoes and
are willing to share their knowledge to help you avoid common pitfalls and achieve their
goals. It's also free. In addition to our free mentoring and online
and local workshops, you can find a host of free online templates and resources, created
by our experts and partners. These resources provide the latest information on trends affecting
the small business landscape. You can also learn from your peers and local small business
roundtables. The biggest benefit of SCORE mentoring and
resources is that you don't have to go it alone. We've got a network of experts ready
to help online or in a chapter near you. As you're listening to today's presentation,
I encourage you to jot down a few questions, then visit SCORE.org to connect with a mentor
that can help you apply the ideas presented to your business. With that, I'd like to turn
things over to Eddie [inaudible 00:02:55] with Colonia Life. Thanks.
Eddie: Thank you, Candice. Today's presentation will be conducted by Gil Youmans, Director,
Small Market Solutions for Colonial Life out of Columbia, South...
