For people ready for a second act in life, an encore entrepreneurship may be the perfect choice. Whether you’re retired, unemployed, or looking for some extra income, joining the ranks of entrepreneurs over 50 can be a great opportunity to pursue a business that’s always interested you. Or you may choose to dip your toe in the water of the many unexplored opportunities you never had time for. In this post, we’ll discuss how to get started with an encore business.

Garnish apparel is the brain child of chief designer and store owner Erica Lurie. They are located in the Pearl District of NW Portland, OR and feature "designed in house, made in Portland" fashion apparel for women. 

Matthew Micetic opened his new storefront in FoPo JUST IN TIME for the 2017 holiday gift giving season. Matthew is a graduate of PCC's Small Business Development Center Retail Small Business Management Class. Matthew shares his story below.

No matter how successful you are, owning and operating a successful restaurant is an ongoing challenge to maintain - and build upon - your accomplishments. Whether it’s keeping up to date on the latest in restaurant news, or finding tips and tricks on how to improve service and food quality, it’s important to continually tap into resources that can help improve your business.

Becoming a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) can increase your value as an employee and open the door to new opportunities. Just consider the fact that 70% of the world’s purchasing power lays outside the United States — this certification proves your proficiency at international trade, which is extremely useful and highly sought after in today’s economy. Today’s post will provide an overview of what global business certification is and how to become certified.

With 70% of the world’s purchasing power existing outside of U.S. borders, global trade is an appealing prospect even to small businesses. This is especially true when you recall some of the data about how international trade is good for Oregon’s economy in general, as well as small businesses specifically. But it’s important to remember that being a great choice for some companies doesn’t make global exportation the right choice for your business. That’s why we’ve gathered three benefits and risks to help you determine how international trade can impact your business.

Running a restaurant successfully is a difficult endeavor, and it requires effective restaurant management to help your business thrive. Diners expect quick and excellent service from staff that strive to ensure they have a pleasurable meal. The best way to provide that is through an efficiently managed restaurant.

Successfully run restaurants require a myriad of things to run properly and smoothly, including your management, wait and cook staff, and even the layout of your restaurant can have an impact. Without each of these things operating cohesively, your restaurant as a whole could suffer. We’ve put together four steps to strengthen each of these areas and improve performance.

La Quita Corbet Martin found success in her business Chocolates by Bernard Lake Oswego with the help of PCC's Small Business Development Center. Here is her story.

Updated June 1, 2022

The theory behind the left brain versus the right brain is rooted in the notion that the two halves of the brain control very different functions of our minds. The left brain is believed to control language, sequencing, math, and logic, while the right side of the brain is the more creative side; where feelings, imagination, and artistic abilities reside.

In our digital-everything world, small businesses simply can’t ignore the importance of digital marketing. Consumers are constantly connected to their devices, and any business that doesn’t get onboard is at a significant disadvantage.

The benefits of a digital marketing for your business are numerous. Digital marketing can allow your small business to leverage the potential of SEO, efficiently reaching your target market and allowing you to compete on a more level playing field. By integrating organic and paid search, your company can reach even more of your target audience. Display advertising grabs your audience’s attention and can be a great way to increase brand awareness. Developing both an organic and paid social media strategy allows you to engage with your customers and target prospective customers. Other digital marketing approaches include content marketing, affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, and email marketing.

We won’t get into all of them in this article, but we’ve put together 6 digital marketing tips that can help you get started and grow your business.