QuickBooks is the leading accounting software suite. From startups to established enterprises, millions of businesses use Quickbooks to balance their finances, track sales, manage budgets, and get useful financial reports on the state of the business. Anyone looking to break into the accounting or bookkeeping career, or build value in the bookkeeping career path, can benefit from honing their skills using the QuickBooks software. 

Learning QuickBooks could be the first step to a long and prosperous career. Software proficiency in a program as complex and diversely applied as QuickBooks doesn't happen overnight. One of the best ways to improve your prospects as an accountant or bookkeeper is to take a few courses in QuickBooks operations based on the specific digital bookkeeping skills you want to develop. 

People show they benefit from counseling when it helps them improve their lives by taking personal responsibility to change harmful behaviors. It's often challenging to push ourselves to make these changes ourselves. Even though we want to change, we may not feel ready for it. Which is where motivational interviewing becomes beneficial.  

It is a counseling technique that enables people to find the intrinsic motivation to make positive changes in their lives. Understanding how it functions helps people, even if they don't struggle with issues like addiction but have friends or relatives who do. 

We'll review Motivational Interviewing, how it helps people make positive changes, and who can benefit from learning about it. 

Since 1972, Derek’s Shoe Repair has been helping Portlanders keep their favorite shoes for longer. After purchasing the business in January 2022, Jessica Jones came to the PCC SBDC seeking assistance in transitioning into her role as business owner. After working through the Business Builders and Advanced Small Business Management training programs, Jessica has grown her business mindset and skillset, and remodeled the business to propel Derek's into its next phase of growth! This is her story. 

People are complicated creatures. As individuals move from childhood to adolescence and adulthood, they may develop disruptive or self-destructive behaviors. When that happens, it may become difficult for them to motivate themselves to make the required changes. And all the while, those people may want to change their behaviors but don't know how.

In today's post-pandemic world, mental health struggles have become increasingly more prevalent, affecting people evenly across every socioeconomic status, age, gender, and geographic location.  

Because of this, more resources are available for those who are struggling. MHFA and ASIST courses offer invaluable tools that you can use to help someone facing mental health and substance use challenges and to keep someone safe who has shown signs of suicidal risk.  

Let's look at each course and how it can benefit you, your community, and the world around you. 

Who doesn’t have bad digestion these days? Water cooler talk will reveal that all your coworkers have funky guts. From heartburn and ulcer to constipation and gas, it seems like everyone’s ornery digestive tract is making an appearance. 

Many factors affect a fetus's development. Some of those you can't change, such as their genetic makeup, hormone levels, and even environmental factors like the air quality where they live. However, other factors can impact the health and development of the fetus, and a big one is nutrition.  

An expectant mother's diet provides the essential building blocks for the baby's growth. A healthy diet also gives the mother energy, helping her body adjust to the demands of pregnancy.  

But what does it mean to have a healthy diet when you're pregnant? Nutritional needs shift while carrying a baby, and it's important to focus on certain foods to ensure you meet those needs.  

In 2021, Michael Brandwein founded Artichoke Consulting, LLC after a decade of working in the IT consulting industry. At the same time, Michael came to the PCC SBDC looking for assistance with business planning and goal-setting and began participating in business advising sessions with Kim Allchurch-Flick and other SBDC advisors. Now, he and his team work hard to help businesses successfully implement Salesforce and other IT program management projects, allowing them to operate and grow more efficiently! This is Michael's story.