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The Opportunity Knocks program is supported administratively by the Small Business Development Center, although it is a separate program. We encourage existing businesses to become involved in this program and make use of the valuable resources it offers.
Opportunity
Knocks brings Oregon businesses
and organizations together to learn, share, and grow.
For more information on this helpful business program, go directly to their site at:
(if link does not work, please copy and paste to your address line to access the site)
Opportunity Knocks (OK) brings together individual small business owners and managers to form peer advisory groups. Groups include:
· Businesses with employees (service, retail and
manufacturing)
· Small-office/Home-based office
· Internet-based businesses
· Artists
· Non-profit organizations
The groups meet monthly to solve problems, avert crises, and discuss opportunities.
Each OK member pays $99 a year in return for a board of experienced advisors, an off-site meeting place, and professional organization and facilitation of all meetings. Renewal rates range in price from $125 for our Small-office/Home-based office teams to $199 for larger-business sized teams.
Group participants are matched with 12 other non-competing small business owner/operators from companies of common size. Using a carefully tested format, group members brainstorm together and apply problem-solving skills techniques.
Monthly meetings give group members an opportunity to:
· Present business challenges or crises in need of immediate
attention.
· Present longer-term strategic issues or problems for
discussion and insight.
· Identify a specific plan of action to solve imminent or
long-term problems.
· Report on the effect of action items suggested at a previous
meeting.
· Gain education by hearing and questioning
small-business-issues experts.
OK provides a meeting site for the group, prepares monthly agendas and provides two trained facilitators to conduct the three-hour monthly meetings.
For more information, contact:
Janet Hume-Schwarz
541-663-0335
jhumecpa@eoni.com
Small Business Development Center
541-962-3391
sbdc@eou.edu