When the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was adopted by Congress earlier this year, the promise of locavesting—locally focused investing—gained a lot of momentum. As noted in our previous article, locavesting holds a lot of promise for small businesses that need capital to grow. The JOBS Act details still need to be ironed out and there are plenty of devils hanging out in those details. But more...

No matter how you melt it, whether into drinks or bars or in your mouth, chocolate is considered, by many cultures, to be the food of the gods. We've used it not only in our religious rituals, but we also gift it to children, lovers and, most often, ourselves. But like many commodities, the cacao trade has a slippery history, and the labors of the farmers who provide the world with its favorite sweet have been more...

Visual content is on the rise in social media and popular as ever in other mediums. According to Portland SEO consultant Michael Cottam, last night's presenter at the October Search Engine Marketing Association of Portland (SEMpdx) event, original images even keep Google's Panda happy. In a nutshell: Image is everything. But before you shell out a lot of dough on a camera setup for your business, consider more...

Located in the shadow of Paul Bunyan, Kenton may feel sleepy on certain days of the week when the antique and resale shops are shuttered, but there’s always plenty of activity within this North Portland neighborhood that feels like you’ve stepped into a small, tight-knit community where neighbors know each others’ names. Built to celebrate the Oregon Centennial in 1959, Kenton’s towering more...

By writing quality consumer reviews, you have the opportunity to contribute to the success of locally owned businesses, not just by influencing others' buying decisions but also by providing critical feedback to business owners. Your input will enable businesses to provide better services or products, which will in turn help them stay open and thrive. The reviews that you write also help local businesses gain more...

Author Amy Cortese coined the term locavesting in her book Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It. Just as locavores focus on foods grown close to home, a locavestor aims to only invest in businesses within 50 miles of his or her doorstep. The emergence of locally focused investing is potentially good news for small businesses that are struggling for the capital needed to grow their more...

It's never unusual for new eateries to dominate our monthly list of new businesses—of the 16 that opened in August, 15 of them were bars and restaurants. And while we all love to eat (and drink), it's a pleasant surprise to see retailers gathering some of that entrepreneurial steam. So while September brought us plenty of new culinary treats (tacos, sushi, Korean-style fried chicken wings), it also more...

The use of visual media online is rising. Photos are the stars of social sites like Pinterest and Instagram, and experts recommend adding photos to your website or blog to attract more eyeballs and improve SEO. But if you’re not a photographer, how do you get the photos you need? Here are some common mistakes made by small business owners: Using a photo found via Google Images or other search engines. more...

Less polished than the abutting Pearl, the West End maintains a bit of its viable grit as it experiences a rebirth of sorts. Representing the craft and culture that’s become the definition of Portland, the district is a den of fashionable boutiques containing handmade goods and art, where dining, drinking and dancing abounds at night, and a quiet corner, good book and mug of coffee awaits in the morning. Pull more...

Everyone knows that the rolling valleys surrounding the city of Portland are home to numerous celebrated vineyards and wineries producing some of the Pacific Northwest's best reds and whites. It's wine country, after all, and it's not just a destination for day trippers, but for aficionados who travel from all corners of the country for a good glass of pinot. What you might not know is that you can tour more...