Business Resources
Business Planning & Strategy
Livelihood NW’s role is to holistically support your business journey by providing tools and resources available to help you start, sustain, or grow your business or idea.
Schedule your first meeting or go to your client dashboard to meet with an advisor to talk about topics such as: business planning, recovery strategies, projections & financials, leadership & management, and more!
pre start-up
Join us live or watch the replay of our Start your Business: A crash course in business basics where to start, what to know, and what to be thinking about when starting a new business.
Únase a nosotros en vivo o vea la repetición Incie su Negocio: sesión (en línea) es un curso intensivo sobre los fundamentos de negocios: dónde empezar, qué saber y en qué pensar cuando se inicia un nuevo negocio.
Oregon Secretary of State - When starting a new business, there are important decisions to make. Start a Business Guide checklist and recommendations for getting started.
Secretaría de Estado - Guía para Iniciar un Negocio en Oregón.
PDX Office of Small Business 9-Step Guide to Starting Your Business - manageable steps to make your journey to entrepreneurship smoother.
PDX Office of Small Business industry-specific guides on how to start a business - restaurant, food card, retail business and more!
City of Portland Business Registration - Everyone doing business in Portland or Multnomah County is required to register. Register online, or use our PDF form to mail or fax us your registration. No payment is due with the registration form.
PDX Office of Small Business How to Register with City of Portland Video
IdeaBuddy - takes you through every step of your entrepreneurial journey, from the initial spark to execution of your business idea
Oregon SBDC - 20 regional Centers assist small businesses throughout Oregon with advising, classes, and access to the resources they need to be successful.
Navigate Your Business Journey - Oregon's state agencies are available to help you start your business journey, or meet you where you are to help you expand, grow, and succeed.
SBA Plan your Business - You've got a great idea. Now, make a plan to turn it into a great business.
SBA Doing Business In Portland Guide - lists the requirements needed to start, grow, and expand your business.
Ascent Resource Portal - is full of up-to-date information and general best practices for growing your business on a FREE online education platform.
Washington State Start a Business Guide - they offer a PDF and in several languages and as a braille ready format, those versions can be found on the Small Business Guide download page.
Business Impact NW’s Events - Free & low-cost trainings covering a variety of topics from marketing to bookkeeping.
Business Impact NW Clases - clases gratis y de bajo costo acceso a capital en español a demanda
Business Entity Types - Your choice impacts multiple aspects of your business, including taxes, liability, ownership succession, and others. LLC? DBA? S-CORP? ABN? - We know Business alphabet soup. If you’re looking to start, or have started a business in Oregon, you need to register with the Oregon Secretary of State. We advise that you connect with a lawyer, accountant, and business advisor before selecting your business entity.
Disability Secrets article - Starting a business while continuing to receive disability.
SCORE Business Planning Templates - You can use these templates as a starting point to create your startup business plan or map out how you will expand your existing business. You can meet with a Livelihood NW advisor to discuss templates.
Metro Region Innovation Hub - mission is to provide Portland’s entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they need to succeed.
Urban League of Portland - their mission is to empower African-Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security and quality of life.
Start-Up
PDX Office of Small Business Tools and Resources - on how to manage and grow your business
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Portland Community College (PCC) - Grow your business with personalized advice and expert training programs like Business Design Series, Getting Your Recipe to Market, Restaurant Business Builders, and more!
Techstars Entrepreneur’s Toolkit - an online educational resource to help you learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and accelerate your success.
Evergreen BizLink - Need help finding the right resource for your business? Use the interactive search tool to find the right help for your business question.
Cooperative Business Model Incubator - Designed for early-stage entrepreneurs, our Incubator is designed to help entrepreneurs explore and develop their business ideas into the beginnings of a business.
Exit Bliss - Experts in Change Management, Organizational Development, and Succession Planning. They offer a range of services at no cost to COBID-certified firms. Visit their website to learn more.
SBDA Manufacturing Advising Team (MAT)- MAT advisors provide no-cost, confidential business assessments and strategic 1:1 advising tailored to the unique needs of Oregon’s manufacturers.
MySBA Learning - A free learning platform for entrepreneurs with in-depth information to help you grow your business
Multnomah County Construction Diversity and Equity Fund (CDEF) - supports free technical assistance to businesses certified through the Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID).
Launch Mid Valley - A regional collaborative unearthing resources to help launch start-ups and support growth businesses. Network, learn, and grow.
Women entrepreneurs of southern Oregon (WESO) - is a not-for-profit association supporting women entrepreneurs and business owners through networking, education, and inspiration.
Multnomah County Library Small Business Help - Discover resources at the library that can empower your entrepreneurial journey.
Headwaters Farm Business Incubator - serves as a launchpad for new farm businesses with limited resources by providing participants affordable access to farmland, equipment, peer networks and other important resources.
Chase Coaching for Impact program - business support for growing businesses through 1:1 consulting and executive coaching, accessible on-demand education, and banking solutions.
Freelancer Union - tools, discounts, and tips so you can take care of business, finances, and fun.
Co-op
Lean Co-Op Start Co-Op Course - a free online course for entrepreneurs building cooperatively-owned businesses.
Alberta Co-Op - is located in the vibrant Northeast Portland neighborhood now known as The Alberta Arts District. You can become an Owner by purchasing a share in the Co-op.
The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives - is a great place to start, and they’re fully bilingual in Spanish.
The Northwest Cooperative Development Center - is based in Olympia, WA but it includes Oregon in its service area. They offer technical assistance to co-ops and also run an online Co-op Academy
The Sustainable Economies Law Center - has lots of resources that are relevant to all co-ops
Established Business
SCORE Business Planning & Financial Statements Template Gallery - a collection of user-friendly templates for business planning, finance, sales, marketing, and management, designed to assist you in developing strategies for either launching a new business venture or expanding an existing one.
Gamestorming - is a set of co-creation tools used by innovators around the world. Games designed to help you get more innovative, creative results in your work.
CLOSING/Selling YOUR BUSINESS
Oregon SBDC - assist clients by identifying their timeline and readiness, explaining their options, fostering an exit strategy that aligns with their business goals, and identifying the right professional team to help navigate the process.
Office of Small Business Assistance (Oregon) - file closure with the Secretary of State
Internal Revenue Service - closing your business can be a challenging task. The IRS has resources that can help you navigate this.
Resources on How To Close/Sell Your Business in Oregon (PDF)
A blog from Rational Unicorn: 5 Things to Consider When You Might Sell Your Business
Certifications
MySBA Certifications - single application for SBA federal contracting certifications is open! Certifications include 8 (a) Business Development, HUBZone, Veteran-Owned, and Woman-Owned.
Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) Certification - the primary goal of certification is to level the playing field by providing certified firms a fair opportunity to compete for government contracts regardless of owner ethnicity, gender, disability, or firm size.
LGBTBE Certification - get access to hundreds of corporate representative and supplier diversity professional contacts.
B-Corp Certification - for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Oregon APEX Accelerators - is part of a nationwide network of APEX Accelerators working to help businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace.
Oregon Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) - identifies and supports established Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) to achieve targeted objectives including boosting revenue and securing government, state, and local contracts.
Oregon Buys - a web-based eProcurement system that will automate the state of Oregon's procurement process.
Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) - is a Regional Partner Organization of WBENC, providing Women’s Business Enterprise Certification, Opportunities, Resources, and Engagement for over 25 years. They offer monthly WBEs “Why Certify?” learning sessions.
NON PROFITS
Give!Guide - Portland's easiest path to end-of-year giving for non profits. The campaign begins on November 1 and closes at midnight December 31
Narwhal Nonprofit Consulting - project-Based Nonprofit Law and Consulting
Kelley Nonprofit Consulting - strengthening nonprofits through high-quality, holistic technical assistance.
The Nonprofit Association of Oregon (NAO) Resource Library - statewide nonprofit membership organization representing and supporting charitable nonprofits of all sizes, geographic locations, and missions across Oregon
The National Council of Nonprofits - tools, research, and resources needed to operate more effectively, efficiently, and ethically.
NerdWallet “Grants for Nonprofits” - list of options on how to Get Free Funding as a nonprofit
Donor Box “The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Nonprofit Business Plan”
Disclaimer:
Livelihood NW provides these resources for informational purposes only and does not endorse, guarantee, or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or opinions expressed by external sources. Users should independently verify any information before relying on it for business decisions.