Does your company invest in professional development for its employees? Have you thought about it? Maybe you should. Investing in the professional growth of your employees has many benefits that more than justify any associated costs. In this post we’ll look at the seven different reasons managers should make employee skill development a priority.

Starting your own business can be exciting and it takes a great deal of time and energy. At first, most small business owners wear many hats, taking on the work of multiple functional areas (operations, sales, accounting, marketing, and HR etc.) all by themselves or with just a very small team. As you grow your business,  through the early days, the challenges of taking on all the work will slowly be lifted as your team expands.  Unfortunately, many small business owners struggle with this transition from worker to manager and leader. When you’re used to doing everything your way it can be difficult to give up some of the control you’ve had for so many years. Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth refers to this transitions as moving from “working in the business, to working on the business.” There are many things you can do to make the transition from worker to leader smoother, and position your business for success.

Originally created for the Portland Chinese Times by Leslie Hildula, Jade District Business Liaison from Small Business Development Center at Portland Community College.

Each May is World Trade Month, which makes now the perfect time to explore the role global trade plays in the economy. Given 95% of the world’s population and 75% of consumers reside outside the US, global trade is responsible for a significant number of jobs as well as business stability and growth. This isn’t restricted to major corporations either; small businesses actually have a lot to gain from exporting. Today’s post will highlight some of the reasons and the ways Oregon small businesses can get involved.

What is encore entrepreneurship?

If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will soon. Encore entrepreneurship is on the rise!

Digital marketing is a fact of life in the business world today. The term refers to any type of marketing done online, including your website and social media, and brings with it the advantage of enabling marketers to track and analyze the success of campaigns to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Before you invest in digital marketing for your business, however, consider these 10 questions.

As an artist, writer, design or creative entrepreneur, you have the skills to create great work, but do you have the business skills to get great work? When starting your own creative business, you will need to do some digging into business topics and getting to know your market. Though it might take some trial and error, by doing your homework, you can run an effective business.

Lauren Rosenstein is the owner of The Green Schoolhouse. Lauren tells her story of working with the PCC Small Business Development Center below.

Starting a restaurant has many working parts all moving simultaneously, and if left unattended, could cause speed bumps in your start up process and success. Choosing the correct location (and getting the proper permitting), managing food and beverage inventory, and handling the employees, are just a few of the moving parts.

Sam F. Taylor, IV, A.S.I.D. is a guest instructor in Restaurant Business Builders in the session "Designing Your Restaurant and Kitchen," in which he will be sharing his expertise of over 35 years in designing and planning spaces in the hospitality industry.