SBA Portland District Office’s Post

In the spring of 2021, High Street Tonics launched a drink mixer business in Eugene, Oregon, but quickly became aware of a rise in the sober-curious movement. Owner Cheri Hammons began to pivot and experiment with more non-alcoholic products. At the start of 2023, Cheri and her team held four pop-up events, transforming area businesses into a non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop for the night. The success of these events led to High Street Tonics opening a location in downtown Eugene in June 2023, Oregon’s only brick-and-mortar non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop. As Cheri worked to grow her business, she attended the Business Plan Accelerator course at Lane Small Business Development Center and regularly met with her SBDC adviser for one-on-one no-cost business advising. With the help of her adviser, High Street Tonics has seen a 500% growth in gross revenue.” “We have been able to brainstorm ideas, narrow them down to make them more manageable, get practical marketing advice, and receive tips on formulating and following through with a long-term plan,” Cheri said. “Having access to these meetings and courses has felt like an anchor throughout the ups and downs that everyone experiences in business. We feel more equipped to weather anything that may come up knowing that the SBDC is available to help guide us and pivot toward strategies that align with our long-term goals.” To learn more about High Street Tonics, visit https://buff.ly/4aD3H67. #HighStreetTonics #SoberBar #SoberLounge

A big shout-out to the Tillamook SBDC for their efforts in 2023. Their team helped small businesses access over $5.1 million in capital funding and create 24 new jobs. Additionally, their clients saw a $1.4 million increase in sales last year. To connect with the team at the Tillamook SBDC and learn more about their services, visit https://buff.ly/3K5942X. #TillamookSBDC #OregonSBDC #BusinessImpact

Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. They create two-thirds of new jobs and drive innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. With this in mind, the goal of our 2024 Building Better Businesses Together Entrepreneur and Small Business Fair was to help the community learn about the wide range of resources and support available to business owners... It was a great success! The event featured business advising providers, financial institutions, public agencies, utilities, and chambers of commerce throughout the MHCC service area. There were panel discussions on business advising services, the diverse selection of financial institutions, utility, and public agency business incentive programs, and business success stories. With more than 100 people in attendance, the message is clear—we will continue building better businesses together and spread the message to an even wider audience at next year's event. Thank you to the entrepreneurs who took the time to stop by and take advantage of these great resources. We are deeply grateful to the event exhibitors, our local community partners: Business Oregon City of Estacada City of Fairview OR City of Gresham City of Sandy, Oregon City of Troutdale Craft3 DIVISION-MIDWAY ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT Energy Trust of Oregon Friends of Trees Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber Internal Revenue Service - Area 6 Kenway Benefits Group | West Columbia Gorge Chamber KeyBank Livelihood NW Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) Northwest Native Chamber OnPoint Community Credit Union Paid Leave Oregon Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO) State of Oregon - Preferred Worker Program Riverview Community Bank Rockwood Community Development Corporation Rockwood Market Hall SPRINGDALE JOB CORPS SECRETARY OF STATE, OREGON U.S. Bank U.S. Small Business Administration WorkSource Oregon Xcelerate Women Your work is truly appreciated. See you next year!

Discover the inspiring journey of Kara Long, founder of The Memory Collective, a business dedicated to preserving the memories of loved ones. Motivated by the loss of her grandmother's untold stories, Kara set out to ensure that no memory goes unshared. Kara helps clients immortalize their family's history through video and audio recordings. When faced with startup challenges, Kara turned to SCORE for help. Her SCORE mentor guided her through business fundamentals, helped refine her services, and prepared her for a business pitch competition she triumphantly won! Are you ready to take your business to the next level? SCORE Portland offers a wealth of valuable resources to help you succeed, and our experienced mentors are here to guide you every step of the way. ➡ https://lnkd.in/g48wCP8b 📸: SCORE client and owner of The Memory Collective, Kara Long.

We are grateful for the work the Rogue SBDC is doing. Last year, they helped local small businesses access more than $6.19 million in capital funding, and their clients experienced a sales increase of more than $8.73 million! To learn more about the Rogue SBDC and its services, visit https://buff.ly/3wNdCYL. #RogueSBDC #OregonSBDC #SalesIncrease