Where can you get top-notch, hard-headed business advice from people who truly know what they are talking about because they did it for years?

Yes, you can pay thousands of dollars for professional consultants. Or if you don’t have that kind of cash sitting around, you can turn to the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).

SCORE relies on 11,500 volunteer working and retired business owners and executives. They pass on their wisdom to small-business people through low-cost workshops and free personal counseling.

“It’s the older generation helping the younger one,” says SCORE Chief Executive Officer Ken Yancey. “There’s no reason an entrepreneur should go it alone.”

There are 389 SCORE chapters around the nation. For a one-on-one appointment with a SCORE volunteer, call 800-634-0245 to find the nearest office.

You can also get free counseling from the comfort of your computer via SCORE’s Web site, www.score.org. State your problem or ask your question, and you’re automatically matched with SCORE volunteers who are experienced in that area. Just review their mini-resumes on screen and make your selection. Counselors generally respond to questions within 48 hours.

The SCORE Web site’s Business Resources button leads to hundreds of alphabetized business resource links, from listing 35,000 trade associations around the world through ZIP codes across the United States. Some links send you to sites providing “how-to” business information, such as how to save bucks on computer support costs; others are business resources such as trade show listings.