Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Small biz classes focus on new entrepreneur

Photos and story by James Hill

Whether a future or current entrepreneur is developing, launching, growing, or re-inventing a business, the Small Business Development Center at Portland Community College can help.

Throughout the fall, the center is offering a variety of one-day classes, yearlong programs, as well as one-on-one advising, networking and resource referrals to all kinds of small business owners. The SBDC offers one-day classes throughout the fall term that focus on starting up a new business, marketing, working out logistics, learning QuickBooks and understanding the nuances of the restaurant world.

Starting Monday, Oct. 6, it will put on a 10-month program for small business owners who have been in business for two years or longer. This valuable course offers 50 hours of expert business instruction, plus one-on-one consulting for less than $25 per hour. There are courses that advise on international trade to give entrepreneurs the basics of importing and exporting.

“These programs bring something for everyone in small business,” said Tom Lowles, director of the SBDC. “The courses are affordable, and through our partnerships with the Small Business Administration and the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, we offer one-on-one advising from experts at no charge.”

Some of the other SBDC offerings include:

Going global: marketing in the global marketplace

Are you looking for new market opportunities? What about the rest of the world? (After all, 95 percent of the world’s population lives outside of the U.S.) Learn how to determine the best markets for taking your business global. We’ll teach you how to determine the best markets for your products and services and how to develop an active strategy to successfully take advantage of the opportunities they offer. Learn how to blend price, product, promotion and channels of distribution to control and manage changing international markets. Offered on Friday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is $50.

Going global: product exporting logistics and documentation

Learn how a freight forwarder and customs broker can assist in filling out export and import documentation and help navigate other barriers to the free flow of goods between countries. Learn the importance of designing an international system for the distribution of goods and get answers to questions about insurance, identifying costs to determine terms of sale, just-in-time delivery, use of tariff schedules, quotas and more. The class will be held on Friday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost is $50.

Going global: financing your export transaction

Getting paid, pricing and financing your export transaction. Learn the techniques. Discussion will cover how letters of credit can work to your advantage in marketing your products, how documentations for collection work, understanding the importance of export credit management, insurance, foreign exchange risk, terms and methods of payment. This class will be offered on Friday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Tuition is $50.

Coming up in April, Portland Community College’s SBDC, in cooperation with the Food Innovation Center of OSU and New Seasons Market, again will offer “Getting Your Recipe to Market,” a three-month course for burgeoning food entrepreneurs. Contact SBDC’s Tammy Marquez-Oldham at (503) 978-5094 for information on the next class offering.

Portland Community College Small Business Development Center is part of a statewide network of Oregon SBDCs, www.bizcenter.org, that offer classes, technical assistance and one-on-one advising for small business. Located at 2025 Lloyd Center Mall, Portland, Ore., it is supported by Portland Community College, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.

For more information on any of these classes or to register, call (503) 978-5080.