Our Business Program serves Latinx entrepreneurs and business owners who are aiming to launch a new business or scale up an existing business. We are proud to be the only agency in Lane County fully dedicated to providing spanish-language, culturally-specific business support services. Our business advising team has lived experience as business owners themselves, and they are fully bilingual.
Growing Lane County's Local Businesses
In 2024, we served 133 business owners and entrepreneurs and provided 1,333 hour of technical assistance. During that time, we also launched 57 brand-new Latinx-owned businesses! We offer the following services to business owners and entrepreneurs:
Business Planning Class
A 12-week (36 hours) class with a curriculum specifically designed to help entrepreneurs learn the essentials of starting a business and graduate with a completed business plan. Our goal is to provide entrepreneurs the best possible chance of success by giving them the knowledge they need to succeed. Each client graduates with a completed business plan.
Topics covered include:
Basic financial literacy
Market research
Business accounting
Marketing and branding
Legal incorporation and business structures
Increasing profit margins
Business administration
and more…
Technical Assistance
One-on-one support for entrepreneurs based on their specific business needs. This includes additional advising on topics covered in the business class, along with more specific support that each business needs such as permitting, market applications, licensing, and more. Technical assistance is open to all community members, and in addition, every client that registers for the business class receives access to technical assistance for the duration of the class, along with additional support after graduating.
Workshops
Spanish-language workshops on business and workplace related topics. Some of these workshops are offered only to graduates of the business class while others are open to the entire community.
FAQ
What type of businesses do you help?
We support all types of businesses. Previous clients have included prepared food products, daycares, construction companies, restaurants, and much more. We have experience working with new entrepreneurs, experienced business-owners, and everyone in-between!
When is your business class?
The Business Planning Class is taught twice each year in Spring and Fall. The specific day of the week and time of the class are selected based on the needs of the students who enroll.
How can I support Latinx and immigrant owned businesses in our community?
Visit this page to see a list of businesses that graduated from our business planning class.