Livelihood NW

🎉 Our 2026 Small Business Celebration is TOMORROW 9/24, and there’s still time to join us!

Come connect with small business owners, community leaders, partners, funders, and supporters from across the region for an evening celebrating the small businesses that strengthen our communities.

❇️ Enjoy bites from Himalayan Dumplings by Kyikyi and beverages served by Pacific Pours.

✨ Be there as we reveal this year’s award recipients and hear directly from our Small Business of the Year award winner.

We’d love to see you there and celebrate with you.

Tickets are free, registration is required - Get them here: https://livelihoodnw.org/smallbusinesscelebration/2026

💛 Thank you to our sponsors: Ecotrust, JPMorgan Chase, Point West Credit Union, Business Oregon, and Pacific Pours!

🎉 Increase Project 12 launched this month! We are thrilled to welcome these wonderful businesses to the program:

→ Akadi PDX
→ Piccolina Portland
→ Boba Gems
→ Cool Aunt Cleaners
→ Frankie's
→ Demland Law Group
→ Green Goddess Botanic
→ Lady Mae Boutique
→ Soapbox Studio
→ Makulit
→ Purple Rain Adventure Skirts
→ Somaflow Health and Massage & The Somatic Healing Center
→ Studio Sinai
→ Pearl Waldorf Counseling Services
→ Pristine Montessori
→ Paths & Journeys Counseling and Therapy Services, LLC
→ NW Cardinals GC, LLC

This 1-year, intensive, executive education program combines one-on-one advising with group learning and peer support.

Taught by our professional Business Advisors, participants explore advanced skills in strategy, marketing, and financial management. Participants will use those skills to craft their own Growth Plan, a detailed and action-oriented roadmap for their business.

Learn more about Increase Project here: https://livelihoodnw.org/increase-project

Ready to get started with QuickBooks Online?

🗓️ Starts 9/28 | | $100 (With Subsidy) | 5-week series

➡️ In this 5-week series, we will walk you through setting up QuickBooks Online and train you on how to use it for your business. Our experienced Professional Accounting Advisor will be providing a hands-on approach to this training.

In this workshop, we will cover:
- Creating your QuickBooks Online account and linking bank accounts
- Customizing your chart of accounts
- Categorizing transactions
- Reconciling to bank statements
- Running and using financial reports
- Q&A

Schedule an assessment with our Accounting Team to confirm readiness, ask questions, and check if a sponsor is available to subsidize your fee.

Email [email protected] with questions

➡️ LEARN MORE HERE: https://livelihoodnw.org/quickbooks-training-series

🌅 Did you miss our August Newsletter?

We Spotlighted:
Jolma, the owner behind Amza Superfoods, a Portland, Oregon-based business specializing in small-batch, nutrient-dense Tibetan snacks and pantry staples.

❇️ Invited the community to our 2026 Small Business Celebration
🌱 Told you about our
upcoming workshops
➡️ Shared small business grants
✨ Shared a 2025 Impact Report highlight

To not miss out on our latest news or updates sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://livelihoodnw.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7e96deed147c45afc2bf8e452&id=eb6fa2eda3

Visit the Amza Superfoods website here: https://amzasuperfoods.com/

➡️ To learn more, apply, or nominate for Increase Project visit: https://livelihoodnw.org/increase-project

Check out our August newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/livelihoodnw/news-2026-august

Thinking of starting your own business? We'll guide you through the first steps in our upcoming learning session.

ℹ️ Start your Business: A Crash Course In Business Basics - This (online) live session is a crash course in business basics: where to start, what to know, and what to be thinking about when starting a new business. We will discuss the differences between entity types, how to register your entity, business licenses, EINs, setting up a business bank account, financing, business planning, resources, Q&A, and more!

🗓 November 3rd, 2026 | | English | Virtual | FREE

🎟 Learn more and register for FREE here: https://bit.ly/4glxiqU

Ready to take control of your small business bookkeeping? Learn bookkeeping basics in our ➡️ Intro to Bookkeeping

ℹ️ This workshop goes over the basics of bookkeeping. Taught by our Accounting Advising Team, this is a great first step if you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to small business bookkeeping or need to revisit the basics. We will include a demonstration using QuickBooks Online.

THIS WORKSHOP FOCUSES ON:
→ Understanding the benefits of having well-kept books
→ Using your books to make strategic business decisions
→ Understanding a Profit & Loss financial statement
→ A demonstration of basic bookkeeping tasks
→ Common terminology in the accounting/bookkeeping world
→ How to choose a bookkeeping system or software

💻 VIRTUAL CLASS
🗓 Monday, September 14th, 2026
⏰ 10AM - 12PM
➡️ To learn more or register for this class visit: https://bit.ly/4cOljQk

🎟 $59 general public
🎟 $5 for Members

Log in for your member discount codes: https://livelihoodnw.thinkific.com/pages/workshops

Not a GroundWork or OWBC member yet?

Book a First Meeting: livelihoodnw.org/meet-with-a-business-advisor

Or join the OWBC: livelihoodnw.org/owbc
OWBC membership is free and open to all Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Join us! Livelihood NW’s 2026 Small Business Celebration returns for an evening of connection, inspiration, and celebration with entrepreneurs, community leaders, partners, funders, and supporters from across the region. Together, we’ll recognize the creativity, resilience, and achievements of the small businesses that strengthen our communities.

Enjoy light snacks and beverages, celebrate this year’s client award recipients, and connect with the people and organizations helping shape a stronger small business community. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or joining us for the first time, you’ll leave inspired, connected, and ready to celebrate another year of small business success.

Tickets are free thanks to our event Sponsors: JPMorgan Chase, EcoTrust, and Business Oregon. Registration is required. When reserving your ticket, we invite you to make a donation to help sustain and grow Livelihood NW’s programs for small business owners. Every contribution—large or small—makes a difference.

🗓️ 9/24/2026 @4:30PM-7:00PM

We’d love to see you there!

To register, go to: https://livelihoodnw.org/smallbusinesscelebration/2026

For the first time, we’re opening select Ascend Mastery Courses to the public.

These live courses are designed for business owners who need more advanced, targeted learning to strengthen how they lead, operate, market, and sell. There’s still time to join our 3-part Sales Strategies course starting on 9/2.

ℹ️ This course goes beyond theory, giving you practical frameworks you can apply immediately to increase conversions, improve ROI, and grow revenue. Whether you sell products or services, you’ll walk away with a clearer, more effective path to sustainable sales growth.

🗓 LIVE 9/2, 9/9, 9/16 @ 9-11:00am | Virtual

🎟 Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4h31JCn

✨ 2025 Impact Report Highlights:

In 2025, we launched our Learning Library ➡️ A growing collection of on-demand, self-guided business education videos developed by our team’s decades of combined business advising experience.

Inside you’ll find:
➡️ Course: Business Success Toolkit
➡️ Course: Business Development Series
➡️ Learning Session Recordings
➡️ Templates and tools to apply concepts directly to your business or idea

❇️ The most popular video of 2025? Financial Projections & Cashflow.

Did you miss our Impact Report? Join us as we look back on 2025, celebrate the amazing entrepreneurs we work with, & share a few program highlights!

Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4wPpVgo

Did you miss our July Newsletter?

We spotlighted our clients Manny’s Choice (Oregon City-based importer and producer of premium 100% European flour and specialty food products), Keia &
Martyn’s Coffee (a specialty coffee shop and subscription service) and Sibeiho (an Oregon-based business that produces small-batch Singaporean sambals with natural ingredients and bold flavors).

🔑 Shared upcoming workshops
💸 Shared small business grants
🔦 Spotlighted the Oregon Women's Business Center at Livelihood NW resources, including the Learning Library
❇️ Shared a 2025 Impact Report highlight

To not miss out on our latest news or updates sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/4bAzLuA

Are you a Livelihood NW client or OWBC member and want to get your business in front of more people? Fill out the spotlight request form, and you can possibly be featured in our next newsletter: https://livelihoodnw.org/spotlight-request

Check out our June newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/livelihoodnw/news-2026-july