How would you feel if you could experience a different culture through something as personal as your own taste buds? River Wave Foods strives to provide that intimate experience to their consumers through a wide array of cooking sauces and tapenades. After leaving the stable world of flight attending in 2006, Rebecca Kawanami jumped right into the world of business by incorporating River Wave Foods into an LLC and putting all of her efforts into her sauce and tapenade product lines. She enrolled in the SBDC’s Getting Your Recipe to Market in 2007 with just one product in her repertoire (the Thai sauce) and has expanded since to include two more sauces, one tapenade, and two vinaigrettes.

Owning your own retail business can present many unique challenges. When it comes to learning how to be the best retail manager, many store owners find that actually managing a staff is one of the most difficult balancing acts they have to perform. As Leslie Hidula, PCC SBDC business advisor says, “I have found that retail owners struggle with being ‘the boss.’ They act like a friend, a mom, or a control freak. These approaches can really hurt a business, especially as they grow.” Overcoming this barrier by learning how to tow the line between employer and friend can help improve, not only your retail store’s growth, but also your skills as a retail store boss.

Growing your new business to a state of profitability and sustainability is a grueling task. But with hard work, and the right approach, it is far from impossible to achieve. In this post, we’re going to look at some techniques for “following the money” in business: focusing on the bottom line so that your business can achieve the growth it needs to succeed.

Making decisions as a small business owner can be tough. In a market where competition is fierce, and one small mistake can spell disaster, how should one’s decision best be informed? Is it to use intuitive sensing, that gut feeling that something is either good or bad, even if you can’t tell why; or should you trust rationality, and look at the known facts to make an even handed judgement? The answer is that both of these approaches are valid, depending on the situation. In this post we’ll explore the differences between research and intuition in business, and show you how and when to use each process.

Updated April 13, 2022

If you run a small business, you should consider your financial reports as your closest, most trusted advisor. They give you accurate, up-to-date information on how your business is running, and, when you know how to read them, they can help you make smarter business decisions too. Keep reading for our three favorite ways to use financial reports to make smarter business decisions.

Triple bottom line businesses or businesses that focus on people, planet, and profit are becoming increasingly popular for business owners who want to incorporate their personal values into their business. For business owners that want to formally integrate their social and environmental values into their business operations, there are a couple of options to publicly declare their values and to be held accountable to their commitments.

B Lab is a non-profit organization that has championed the cause of triple bottom line businesses by providing certification and advocating for legislation. B Lab created the Benefit Corporation (or BCorps) certification and has helped enact legislation for businesses to incorporate as a Benefit Company in Oregon.

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Company: Summit Wood Creations

Owner: Reyna Badillo

For those just starting out as business owners, or those interested in building a business from scratch, the idea of becoming self-employed is something you likely thought long and hard about. The misconceptions that some have of being a solopreneur is that it automatically allows for freedom and unlimited growth potential. While these are certainly benefits to having a successful business of your own, they aren’t guaranteed. Knowing the difference between being and building a business can help you focus your longterm goals and find the building blocks needed for your unique business development that can take you to that next level of financial success and personal freedom.

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Business: Recherche

Experiencing success in a new business venture is a difficult, yet rewarding process. However, growth brings its own unique set of challenges as you try to keep up with demand and take your company to the next level.

One of the biggest challenges is knowing when to hire staff for your new business.