Bricks Need Mortar Membership
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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
- 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.