[photo credit: Pasadena Public Library]
The Service Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE, is bringing its “Starting a Business: What You Need to Know” program back to the community, with sessions scheduled for January 17 and February 21.
The workshop promises to compress the essentials of launching a venture into just two hours. As SCORE describes it, the program “cuts through the confusion and chaos of what you need to do and think about to start a business.” Participants will leave with a practical checklist of 17 items they need to address when establishing their venture, along with an understanding of legal requirements, financing options and business structures.
Two seasoned business veterans will lead the workshops. Dick Mader, a Pasadena resident who has mentored entrepreneurs with SCORE since 2000, co-founded Mader News, Inc. in 1972 with his wife Mary. The company now distributes over 200 publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, across Southern California. Bob O’Brien spent more than five decades in sales, building a Manufacturers Representative firm from startup to over $15 million in annual sales. Together, they bring nearly a century of combined business experience to the classroom.
SCORE Los Angeles provided free mentoring and education to over 18,000 local entrepreneurs in 2024, earning the organization the 2025 District Chapter of the Year award. The workshop covers business naming, legal structures, taxes, insurance, marketing and financing sources.
Those needing accessibility accommodations should contact the library at least 72 hours in advance. Hastings Branch: (626) 744-7262. Lamanda Park Branch: (626) 744-7266.
“Starting a Business: What You Need to Know” will run on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Hastings Branch Library, 3325 East Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena. On Saturday, Feb. 21 at 10:30 a.m., Lamanda Park Branch Library, 140 South Altadena Drive, Pasadena. For more information, call (800) 634-0245 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D193753730.
