Small Business Development Center

CLIMB Center

Small Business Development Center

Business owner smiles while standing in the lobby of his business, with two men working behind counter in the background

Get in touch

Build a Profitable and Rewarding Small Business

The Oregon Small Business Development Center at Portland Community College has helped thousands of business owners in the Portland, OR metro region over the last 35+ years. We combine one-on-one business advising with training programs taught by business experts, giving small business clients the resources they need to grow. We’ve celebrated many successes with clients at all stages of business development.

We encourage you to attend our no-cost Intro to SBDC orientation. At orientation, you will:

Identify where your business is on the small business growth curve
Discover education opportunities, advising services, and other resources available to you
Create a plan for action to guide your next steps in your business journey

Register for Orientation

River Wave Foods owner Rebecca Kawanami smiling with her tapenade product line.

Starting a New Business

Start your business on the right track, from refining your entrepreneurial idea to stabilizing your business for growth.

Celeste from women’s clothing retail store Radish Underground smiling in her shop

Managing Your Established Business

Keep your business growing by making the right decisions. Maintain your competitive edge through innovation.

Global Trade Center

Grow your business through exporting and importing.

Be prepared for the Oregon Construction Contractor’s Board exam, or the Certified Global Business Professionals exam.

Exam Prep

Get ready for the CCB and CGBP exams.

Marilyn Kember, owner at Kember’s Gluten Free, smiles while holding up two bags of her baked goods recipe mixes, one in each hand

Getting Your Recipe to Market

Turn your recipe into a commercial-ready food product.

Import/Export Trade Advising

Our team has decades of experience supporting small business professionals who seek to become importers/exporters.

SBDC Course Schedule

From the SBDC Blog

How Much Revenue Do You Need as a New Restaurant or Bar in Portland?

Tue, 17 Sep 2019

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. And Beeswing isn’t alone: Portland has a long history of shuttered restaurants and bars that served amazing food and drink but were still eventually closed because they didn’t make sense financially.

Restaurant Business Builders Begins Sept. 23

Mon, 09 Sep 2019

"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.

Advisor Spotlight: Jill Beaman (Getting Your Recipe to Market)

Thu, 29 Aug 2019

With a deep background in the wine industry, professional education in agriculture and business, and experience as a food researcher, Jill Beaman came to lead the Getting Your Recipe to Market Program at the PCC SBDC 7 years ago. This is her story.