The Small Business Whisperer

Tech startups. Food carts. Hot sauce. Microbrews. Crazy folding gadgets. New ideas -- and the entrepreneurs who turn them into reality -- are the life force of Portland's local economy. The pandemic witnessed a surge in small-business registration as people quit their day jobs and struck out on their own. Small businesses now employ 35% of the workforce in Multnomah County. But entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges. That's where Jon Bebe (pronounced "Bee-bee") comes in. He's part of the brand new Portland Office of Small Business at Prosper Portland, the economic development agency for the City. As a business liaison for District 1 and District 3, he helps local entrepreneurs make their ventures thrive. We caught up with him last week to find out how that works.

What is a business liaison, anyway?

I'm like an air-traffic controller. I help business owners navigate the resources we have for them at Prosper Portland. We meet owners at all stages of business development. Some are pre-launch, some are in transition, some want to sell their business. We have resources to help all of them, whether it's access to capital, lining up permits, finding mentors, whatever. We help folks get educated and empowered.

Have you been busy?

We got off the ground in April and launched May 1. Between the four of us, we've served 200 businesses so far. I go out to some businesses and they've never seen anybody from the city. Their first reaction is, “What do you want from me? What are you going to take away from me?” And I'm like, “Neither! What I want to offer is to work with you and help you however I can.”

View full size image of Business liaison Jon Bebe talks to business owner in grocery store.

What do they need?

Number one is access to capital. Business owners get started in a lot of different ways. Sometimes they take out loans, sometimes they have a silent partner, sometimes they bootstrap it with their own savings. But when they want to take the next step, they usually need more capital. More money. Number two is permitting. Small business owners face a lot of challenges getting their permits lined up. The City is working hard to make this easier. And in the meantime we can help them navigate that. Number three is support going through transition. Changing products, a new partner, a lease expiring, that kind of thing.

Help me understand the stuff about permitting. Let's say I find a great old industrial warehouse and I want to start a coffeeshop.

First thing I'd say is, are you married to this space? Are you so in love with it that you can't see your coffeeshop anywhere else? Before you sign the lease, you've got to find out if the space is zoned for a coffeeshop. If it was a coffeeshop before, and you can just turn a key and open the door, that's great. But if it was an old printshop, we have to talk to the building owner. They might have to get a change of use permit. They might have to get seismic retrofitting. They might have to upgrade the grease traps and the hood. So how many chips do you have to lay on the table to put your steampunk coffeeshop in this location? Let's add that up before you sign that lease. And let's get things rolling so you aren't paying rent while you're waiting for permits. We want you to get in there and generate revenue right away.

I'm getting stoked already! Have you done this before?

I've been a BIPOC entrepreneur in Portland since 2004. I was part of a wave of madcap makers and doers in that era who all wanted to explore Portland's weirdness and the loveliness. My friends were all makers. They made reusable grocery bags, or sustainable wallets, or leather goods. I was a business guy. My job was to help their dreams make them money, not make them broke.

What do successful entrepreneurs have in common?

They have this incredible talent. They have passion. And they have a strong relationship to their business.

You mean they think about it night and day?
Not exactly. I said a strong relationship, not an unhealthy relationship. A strong relationship is when you know you can't do it all by yourself. You're willing to improve, you're willing to engage with a team, partner with mentors. You want to make the thing that you love even better. That's a strong relationship. An unhealthy relationship is when you're so myopically obsessed that you're not willing to take guidance, or feedback, or support. You could be really good, but that's only going to take you so far.

View full size image of Business liaison Jon Bebe talks to business owner in restaurant.

You make it sound like couples therapy.

I have a master's degree in counseling from Portland State. And I use that on a daily basis. Nothing is more emotional than money. Tie in this life goal of running a business. Tie in partners and suppliers and customers and yeah, that's counseling.

Let's say I have a killer idea for a small business. What should I do?

If you have a killer idea, I applaud you, because killer ideas only come when we're inspired. Inspiration is very powerful and inspiration will get you a long way. Now let's fuel it with education. Find out more. Find information, work with a partner like the Small Business Development Center. They're a great resource for you. Built Oregon is a place to connect with a mentor who has experience in that field and now they just want to give back to the next person that's got a killer idea. So start with inspiration. And then go get some education.

OK, inspiration and education. Is that all I need?

Now you need the money, baby! You need capital to make it go. You need capital for your time. You need capital for your energy. That capital can come in many forms, and you can stack those together to get to what you need. That's huge. Sometimes folks just obsess on the need to find an angel investor, so they spend 90% of their time pitching their idea and only 10% nurturing their idea. And they exhaust themselves pitching. And I'm like, just take two weeks off of pitching and step back and give your idea some love. Go back to your idea, nurture your idea, and then let's talk. There's more than one road to Rome. You're doing a product that is sensitive to a neurodivergent population? Let's look at grants. Let's look at alternative funders. Maybe you can't get a bank loan, but maybe you can get a loan from a credit union. Maybe you can get a grant and a loan and then you won't need investors. Maybe that'll get you enough runway.

You're saying there are more options than just the bank?

Some folks really lean into their own communities, which is great if it's a healthy relationship. A rising tide lifts all boats, right? Check out the list below. They're all nonprofits. Membership is usually free. Their sole goal is to serve their community, including learning about access to capital. They do the work because they believe in it.

You know, I think this could work. Maybe we could call it "Hot Off The Press."

I love it. I'm telling you, our printing-press coffee shop is going to be amazing. I'll be your first customer.

Are you a small business owner facing opportunities or challenges? Reach out to the Portland Office of Small Business.

More Resources

• Portland Office of Small Business
• Portland Metro Chamber
• Better Portland
• Small Business Development Center
• Built Oregon
• APANO
• Black American Chamber of Commerce
• Inclusive Business Resource Network
• Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon
• The Hispanic Metro Chamber
• The Northwest Native Chamber
• Hacienda CDC
• Oregon Pride In Business
• National Association of Minority Contractors - Oregon