Small Business Support Program

Overview

WSCAT’s small business support programming consists primarily of group business education and one-on-one counseling and coaching. The goal of the program is to provide current and aspiring business owners with the resources they need to help their businesses success by:

  • Learning about marketing their business

  • Setting financial goals

  • Developing business plans using Idea Buddy

  • Registering their business

  • Learning about loan opportunities, including Kiva Loans.

Business Counseling/Coaching

WSCAT’s small business staff are trained to provide one-on-one support to new and existing business owners.

Topics covered in counseling are individualized, based on the needs of each client and where they are on their business journey. Topics that are often covered include registering a business, accessing capital, developing a business plan, preparing taxes, utilizing a POS system, hiring and monitoring employees, developing financial projections, acquiring land, contracting, marketing, copywriting, and referring to legal services. If staff do not have the expertise in a particular area, they can refer the client to someone who can help.

Other Business Support

WSCAT occasionally operates other business programming, including grants and events for business owners. 

During the pandemic, WSCAT provided small business grants to over 500 businesses impacted by the pandemic. We also have occasional opportunities to provide grants to business owners, including access to Economic Equity Investment Program (EEIP) funding. We refer clients to Kiva Loans, if they have a sound business plan and need more funding: Kiva Oregon: https://kivaoregon.org/. We also refer participants to our IDA Program. To find out more about whether there are current opportunities available, reach out directly.

Business Education

WSCAT currently uses the CO.STARTERS CORE (for adults), Bootcamp (for those already in business), and Generator (for youth) curriculum in partnership with Foundry Collective.

The courses provide action-driven activities in a group of like-minded people. Usually over ten sessions, participants identify their business goals and talk through their ideas. They learn about marketing, planning, financial projections, and more. At the end of the course, participants come away with a solid business idea and business plan to get them started.

Small Business Conference

In 2019, WSCAT operated its first small business conference. While the pandemic put the business conference on hold, we hope to do another one in the future.