Bricks Need Mortar
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.
Choose the perfect plan
- 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.
- PDXSOS 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.
- BNM members receive a free featured listing on the PDXSOS home page carousel. Please upload a high quality image of your business to be featured here.
- (PDXSOS, advocacy, and survey + infographics)
Office Hours is a weekly, 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 Flourish level members, $250/hour for non members.
To schedule your office hours email Sarah.
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)
- Sustain Level Members $112//hour ($28/hour)
- Bricks Need Mortar members will be featured on the PDXSOS IG feed and in PDXSOS emails going to over #8K consumers on the PDXSOS and Little Boxes email lists.
- Bricks Need Mortar shares custom branded PDXSOS and Small Shops Big Hearts signage with members to display in their stores and in their customer communications.
Bricks Need Mortar Flourish level members receive one complimentary consultation to identify opportunities for growth and improvement in your business.
To schedule your office hours email Sarah.
- 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 a holiday marketing promotion drawing from The Portland Pledge and Little Boxes.
- Participation in seasonal promotions is available to Bricks Need Mortar members only.
- Participation is limited. Cost for Holiday Campaign is $575/business and is only open to 28 businesses and includes:
- Insertion in Portland Pledge Shopping Guide
- Distribution of #20K Portland Pledge Shopping Guide through:
- Direct Mail
- Amongst Participating Small Businesses
- Street Teams
- Dedicated Small Shops Big Hearts/PDXSOS emails and social media
- Bricks Need Mortar partners with Kuto on the Small Shops Big Hearts PDXSOS gift card.
- The Small Shops Big Hearts PDXSOS gift card provides the first of its kind alternative to corporate gift cards and is available to all small businesses who 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. Submit your job postings here.
Bricks Need Mortar members get $15 off job postings.
Visit the members portal to get the code and start saving now