Continuous Learning for Individuals, Management & Business

Making the leap towards pursuing your dream of running a restaurant, or food cart, or breaking into the food service industry takes a lot of hard work, patience, preparation and planning before you even hit the "start" button. The competitive industry requires a steadfast focus for all of the aspects that come with running your own business. You must prepare to face unexpected challenges, and learn how to become a master marketer.

Leslie Hildula of the PCC Small Business Development Center offers a presentation on the guidelines set forth by the Oregon Health Authority for re-opening restaurants, retail, and personal service businesses following the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Coronavirus shutdown. In these two videos Leslie provides information on compliance requirements for the re-opening of small businesses that have been impacted by the Governor's orders. 

Celeste Sipes joined the PCC SBDC team in February of 2020 -- Just in time for a global pandemic to hit Portland that has dramatically influenced small retail businesses. But Celeste, who also owns a successful online retail business, is up to the challenge! These are indeed difficult times for brick and mortar retailers who are trying to figure out how to continue to operate without the normal flow of physical customers. Below is the story of how Celeste is able to provide a sense of sanity in a time of upheaval.

The PCC Small Business Development Center will offer Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Training for food manufacturers during the spring term. PCQI training will equip you with knowledge to get your PCQI certification, but is also structured to guide you to develop all elements required to develop a food safety plan, including a completed food product recall plan.

Leslie Hildula has been around entrepreneurs all of her life, but nothing she has experienced could have fully prepared her for what's happening with small businesses during this time of global pandemic. Leslie and her team are working diligently to help Portland restaurant owners weather the storm of Covid-19 and the Oregon Governor's "Stay Home, Save Lives" orders.

Restaurant Virtual Meetup -- Leslie and her team are hosting virtual meetups for restaurant owners every other Tuesday. Learn more and sign up HERE.

Fall programming from the PCC Small Business Development Center begins this month! We've summarized upcoming programs and their start dates below. All programs are VIRTUAL using Zoom technology. Get in touch if you'd like to learn more about a program, or need help with enrollment. 

In August of 2019, the Northeast Portland brunch cafe Beeswing closed its doors. The restaurant had been open for two and a half years and was owned and operated by industry veterans. The reason? It wasn’t profitable enough. Beeswing isn’t alone: Portland has a long history of shuttered restaurants and bars that served amazing food and drink but still eventually closed. After all, the revenue needed for restaurants in Portland to succeed is staggeringly high.

"The program was a great help, I wish we would have started (with Restaurant Business Builders) before we actually considered the idea of opening our own business."

Watch: Senior Advisor and Program Facilitator Leslie Hildula interviews Daisy and Ivan from Good Karma Rose Juice Bar & Caffé - located in Portland, Oregon's Kenton neighborhood - and recent graduates of the Restaurant Business Builders program.

Registration for fall programming opened last week and PCC SBDC is accepting applications from small business owners, entrepreneurs and global trade professionals seeking to tap into the experts and advisors at the PCC Small Business Development Center. Read on to learn more!

Restaurant Business Builders is our once-per-year course created specifically for current or aspiring restauranteurs. It doesn't matter if you have a brick and mortar location, or a food truck, or are currently in the planning stage. The fundamental restaurant-centric business practices applied in this program, and curated with the support of Portland foodie experts, will help restauranteurs improve business practices, identify efficiencies and avoid trial and error - while developing support from a network of mentors and peers. Restaurant Business Builders is accepting participants for the next program, beginning in April. To commemorate, we're assembling content from several blogs that our experts have produced over the years: