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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.
Next Shop Talk
April 24th
- Join Bricks Need Mortar for this informational learning session on creating your social media strategy and best practices for 2025. Bricks Need Mortar social media manager, Jo Ann Lorraine, leads this session helping you to:
- Know your audience and how to reach them
- Understand your bandwidth and develop a manageable strategy
- Set goals and review metrics
- Planning that keeps you on target
- Optimize platforms to meet your goals
The New and Updated We Are Here Survey is Here! Make Your Voice Heard!
We have conducted 5 years of surveys to provide small businesses with peer data that you can use to understand where you stand in line with your peers, regarding lease rates, employee pay and sales. Make sure your voice is heard today!
About Us
Our mission is to provide support with advocacy, connection, community, guidance and resources, so as an independent business you don’t have to feel as though you are going alone.
- Our goal is to lead small businesses to access resources, gain skills and facilitate collaboration so small businesses can thrive into the future.
- We believe in community over competition and believe we can efficiently and effectively deliver value, results, and solutions to this community as a whole.
- The culture of our organization is centered in helping all businesses through these challenging times, particularly those businesses who are disenfranchised and marginalized.
Shop Talk with Portland Office of Small Business Manager Mitch Daugherty
Learn about Portland’s new Office of Small Business.
Mitch Daugherty, manager of the Office of Small Business at Prosper Portland will be on hand to share more about the office, their mission and efforts.
Mitch wants to hear from you about what it is that you need and how the Office of Small Business can best work together with Bricks Need Mortar to foster an environment in Portland where small businesses can thrive.
The Paladins League will provide coffee and pastries.
This event is free to attend.
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
- Shop Talk is a bimonthly in person meet up, where small businesses come together to collaborate and share solutions.
- Bricks Need Mortar hosts 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 and recorded to the BNM Crowdcast channel.
- Register for calls and post your question(s) for our panel in advance of the event(s).
- 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.
- BNM conducts annual surveys to provide valuable information on the health and needs of the brick and mortar small business community.
- Survey Infographics are shared with members so they can see where they stand in relation to their peers.
- Data is shared with policy makers to support advocacy efforts.
Small Shops Big Hearts, advocacy, and survey + infographics
- 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 email list.
- 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. Email to schedule your session.
- 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 Win Big.
- Participation in seasonal promotions is significantly discounted for Bricks Need Mortar members only
- Cost for Holiday Campaign is $150/business for members. $350/nonmembers.
- Insertion in Discover The Heart of Portland Shop Small printed Shopping Guide
- Distribution of #20K Shop Small Win Big Shopping Guide through:
- Travel Portland Visitor Center
- Travel Oregon Visitor Center at PDX airport
- Amongst Participating Small Businesses
- Hotel Partners
- Dedicated Small Shops Big Hearts and Win Big emails, digital and print advertising, and billboards
- Infographic feedback on Portland Pledge/Win Big
- Dedicated shop highlight reel/video post
- Dedicated shop highlight static carousel post
- A spot in 2 group carousel posts based around niche, neighborhood, etc.
- 4 Instagram story reposts per month
Recommend for inclusion in a #pdxUnites $100 gift card giveaway
- 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, Marketing, Merchandising, 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.
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.
Help our businesses thrive
Be part of the movement
Take a peek inside our past events and survey results
As we enter a new year with new challenges, it’s important to make note of our accomplishments and how we can build upon them to make the greatest and most meaningful impact moving forward.
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.
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.
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.
Katherine Sealy
Founder & CEO Event Cosmetics
With over 20 years of experience in dermatology, cosmetology, and fashion, Katherine Sealy's talents are known and sought around the country.
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
Sponsorships are available in a wide range of options.
We love partnering with organizations and companies that share goals of supporting our community and the small businesses that make Portland the place we love.
Let’s talk about how your organization can be part of this movement.
