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we are bricks need mortar
Where main street businesses go to gain skills, access resources, and collaborate.
Your business is an essential asset to the neighborhood, its residents, and the local economy.
We are here to partner with you to survive, sustain, and thrive into the future.
Advocacy & Visibility
Bricks Need Mortar advocates for small businesses with campaigns designed to direct customers to support small, independent businesses. We also share vital information on the needs health of our community with policy makers so they make decisions that positively impact small, independent brick and mortar businesses.
Coaching & Resources
We provide both, individual 1 on 1 and group coaching for members and at reduced rates. We share strategic planning, best practices and thought leadership to help you work smarter and your business hum brighter.
Community & Connection
Our monthly live and virtual panel discussions allow for learning and a great way to connect with other members in our community. Get inspired, learn from subject matter experts and collaborate with peers.
Partnering & Progress
We understand that partnering with organizations whose missions and actions align with the needs and goals of our members, helps our businesses grow and prosper. Our affiliates, sponsors and partners provide resources and services that we are able to offer you at affordable rates.
As we close in on 2 years operating under a global pandemic it’s important to take a look at what we’ve accomplished and where we can best make an impact moving forward.
Join the Bricks Need Mortar Coalition Today
Strengthen and grow your business
$
49
Monthly or $490/yr
-
Be part of our growing community of independent small businesses.
high value
- Bricks Need Mortar hosts monthly, live + virtual panel discussions and learning sessions with subject matter experts, peers and policy makers on timely topics relevant to the brick and mortar small business community.
- Most calls are hosted on our Crowdcast channel.
- Register for calls and post your question(s) for our panel in advance of the event(s).
- Your unique code will give you access to current and archived events.
- Small Shops Big Hearts began as a public facing call to action to prioritize support for Portland’s small businesses. It has grown into a directory of over 800 small businesses where people come to discover and explore new places to eat, shop and more.
- BNM members receive a free featured listing on the Small Shops Big Hearts home page carousel.
- We provide Small Shops Big Hearts assets in addition to surveys and infographics for your small business and to support advocacy efforts.
Office Hours is a weekly or as needed, one on one deep dive on how to identify and resolve your business’s most critical and urgent issues.
Bricks Need Mortar provides expert guidance on issues ranging from but not limited to:
• sales
• marketing
• finance
• inventory
• operations
• purchasing
• HR
• lease negotiations
• customer acquisition and engagement
Office Hours work sessions are $125 for Bricks Need Mortar members, $250/hour for non members.
Our Group Coaching program consists of an intimate, handpicked group of business owners that meets twice monthly to tackle issues ranging from how to get new customers and keep great employees to how to best manage your cash flow and vendors and beyond. It’s a support group, a group to bounce ideas off, a group to be accountable to, to set goals and build trust with. It’s an opportunity to expand and deepen your network and ask others in your industry for referrals and recommendations. It’s a facilitated conversation and problem solving session that works to return as much value as possible to each participant.
To Apply.- Prospective businesses need only complete our Group Coaching interest form.
BNM will review applicants and place them within a group that best fits their needs and the needs of the cohort. Meeting times and agendas will be shared well in advance of the cohort’s first meeting. Meetings are held twice per month. Group Coaching will be conducted virtually and has a recurring, monthly fee of $150 per business.
Discounted Rates Available for Bricks Need Mortar members:
Flourish Level Members $75/month ($19/hour)
- Bricks Need Mortar members will be featured on the Small Shops Big Hearts IG feed and in Small Shops Big Hearts emails going to over #8K consumers on the Small Shops Big Hearts and Little Boxes email lists.
- Bricks Need Mortar shares custom branded Small Shops Big Hearts signage and assets with members to display in their stores and in their customer communications.
Bricks Need Mortar members receive one complimentary strategy consultation to identify opportunities for growth and improvement in your business.
Connect with Other Leaders
Bricks Need Mortar understands that our small businesses deserve and must fight for a seat at the table so that the challenges, needs and deeds of this community are seen, heard and acted upon.Here is how we connect our community with leaders:
– Bricks Need Mortar regularly polls our small businesses, aggregates the data and shares that information back with our small businesses and with policy makers and other community leaders.
– Bricks Need Mortar organizes listening sessions with policy makers, inviting members to participate in these conversations.
– Bricks Need Mortar connects its businesses with other leaders in the community for connection and collaboration.
- Bricks Need Mortar organizes consumer facing promotions throughout the year. Most notably, Bricks Need Mortar organizes and manages an evergreen marketing promotion drawing from The Portland Pledge and Little Boxes called Shop Small Win Big.
- Participation in seasonal promotions is significantly discounted for Bricks Need Mortar members.
- Cost for Holiday Campaign is $150/business for members. $350/nonmembers.
- Insertion in Shop Small Win Big printed Shopping Guide
- Distribution of #20K Shop Small Win Big Shopping Guide through:
- Direct Mail
- Amongst Participating Small Businesses
- Street Teams
- Dedicated Small Shops Big Hearts/Shop Small Win Big emails, social media, advertising and billboards
- Link to Infographic feedback on Portland Pledge/Shop Small Win Big
- Bricks Need Mortar partners with Kuto on the Small Shops Big Hearts gift card.
- The Small Shops Big Hearts gift card provides the first of its kind alternative to corporate gift cards and is available to all small businesses that accept Kuto.
- Kuto saves small businesses on high credit card fees with a flat 1.5% processing fee and contactless way for people to pay.
- Bricks Need Mortar members receive free processing on the first $2K in sales processed with Kuto.
- Bricks Need Mortar members receive free listing and promotion of open job positions.
- Bricks Need Mortar negotiates special rates with high quality service providers between 25-50% off their standard rates.
- Bricks Need Mortar seeks out professional service providers from photographers, HR professionals, DEI consultants and others to help you find the important resources when you need them.
- Mac’s List is Portland’s own job listing service.
- Bricks Need Mortar members receive $15 off each job posting.
Spring 2021 Group Coaching and Technical Assistance for Central Eastside Small Businesses
Bricks Need Mortar will provide 6 months of technical assistance, learning sessions, and group coaching to 12 businesses within the Central Eastside Together ESD District Boundary.
About this event
Join Bricks Need Mortar for a panel discussion on Understanding Consumer Behavior and Strategies to Convert Visitors to Shoppers.
Dr. Amaradri Mukherjee, Portland State University School of Business Professor of Analytics, joins us to share what the data says about current consumer behavior and ways you can connect to customers.
Michele Reeves, economic revitalization consultant and Bricks Need Mortar advisor, helps us understand the importance of windows and in-store circulation to create a customer experience that will invite more customers in your doors and sell more products once they are inside.
Sarah Shaoul, retail consultant and Bricks Need Mortar founder, will facilitate this call and share best practices for human engagement.
From management to sales staff, this call will be a highly valuable session to glean how to create a winning consumer experience that converts sales and creates loyal customer relationships.
Let’s make this an amazing 2022 holiday season!
Bricks Need Mortar founder, Sarah Shaoul, received Portland’s 2020 Rising Star Achievement Award by Oregon’s Travel and Tourism Industry for her volunteer work creating PDXSOS.com, the call to action to save our small businesses, and for her advocacy and support of small businesses with Bricks Need Mortar.
Help our businesses thrive
Be part of the movement
Take a peek inside our past events and survey results
Our Founder
Sarah Shaoul
BNM founder
Passionate about human engagement, Sarah works with businesses to establish and maintain healthy ethos and culture to propel businesses to thrive forward.
Sarah Shaoul is a business consultant and coach with over 25 years of experience owning, operating and building retail brands.
Advisory Team
Jared Mees
Owner at Tender Loving Empire
Tender Loving Empire curates a collection of goods and music from hundreds of independent makers for people who want to support their creative community, surround themselves with beauty and live wholehearted.
Michele E. Reeves
Founder at Civilis Consultants
Civilis Consultants works to assist commercial districts to recognize and leverage their strengths, craft unique brands, and ultimately, increase sales per square foot.
Ashley Henry
Executive Director at BBPDX
BBPDX works to engage Portland's business leaders in the civic processes that shape the direction of the city. Ashley is passionate about connecting leaders with strategic opportunities to bring greater shared prosperity to all Portlanders.
Will Cervarich
Co-Owner and Director of Development at Betsy & Iya
Founded in 2008 Betsy & Iya is a brick and mortar shop in NW Portland and jewelry brand. Will specializes in systems, operations and brand strategy.
Rebecca Armstrong
CEO at North
Rebecca spearheads agency direction and guides communications strategies for clients that include Hydro Flask, Peet's Coffee & Tea, New Seasons, Hood River Distillers and Green Valley Creamery among others.
Ray Moseley
Business Mentor at Prince's Trust
Ray Moseley has a varied professional career starting in sales at IBM, then Investment Banking at Smith Barney. The mainstay of his career was spent as a principal building AND1 to a $250m global brand.
Jim Hassert
COO of Grovemade
Jim Hassert has over 15 years experience owning and running small businesses and loves helping passionate owners turn vision into reality.
Bridgid Blackburn
Co-Owner at Cargo
Cargo is a 25 year old home goods and lifestyle shop in Portland's Central Eastside. Bridgid is on the board of the CEIC, Venture Portland, founder of Merchants & Makers Committee and serves on committees for the Regional Arts Council, Business for a Better Portland, and Portland Means Progress.
Betsy Cross
Founder and Co-Owner at Betsy & Iya
Founded in 2008 Betsy & Iya is a brick and mortar shop in NW Portland and jewelry brand. Betsy is the Lead Deisnger and Creative Director.
Mitch Daugherty
Executive Director at Built Oregon
Built Oregon supports the growth of Oregon’s consumer product industries in order to create sustainable, inclusive, and innovative job growth.
Sponsors & Partners
