Psilocybin Fall Business Forum

Are you considering starting a psilocybin business in Oregon? Do you want to learn more about how the psilocybin program in Oregon will function? If so, the upcoming Psilocybin Fall Business Forum is for YOU!

Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) and  the Secretary of State's Office of Small Business Assistance are hosting a virtual Psilocybin Fall Business Forum on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

This free virtual event is open to the public, and includes a series of Zoom presentations offered by state agency partners. Sessions will cover important considerations in starting a manufacturing facility, testing laboratory, service center, and/or facilitator business under the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act.

The Office of Small Business Assistance is hosting a post-forum session to address questions about resources and obstacles for prospective businesses. Learn more on the Oregon Psilocybin Fall Business Forum page.

Frances, the Oregon Employment Department’s new, modernized system, is Here!

OED’s new system, Frances Online, is now live and supports both unemployment insurance (UI) and Paid Leave Oregon, the new program for family, medical and safe leave.

Beginning with the third quarter filing in 2022, Frances Online replaces the Oregon Payroll Reporting System (OPRS) and the Employer Account Access (EAA) portal.

The system will start supporting the Statewide Transit Tax (STT) and Paid Leave Oregon contributions in the first quarter of 2023.

You will use Frances Online to:

• Easily update your account information, manage account access, make changes to your staff access, and connect clients to your account.
• File and amend your combined payroll report, and find your tax rate and those of your clients.
• View the letters we send you, send and receive secure messages from inside the system, and more!

Go to Frances Online now to get started!

Licensing for Outfitter Guides  One of Oregon's more unusual business fields is “Outfitter Guides." Licensed by the Marine Board, an outfitter guide is someone “…who provide[s] outdoor recreational activities for compensation on land or water they do not own or control.” Outfitter Guide licensing allows the state to ensure the safety of folks who use the services of an Outfitter Guide, both before they depart and while they are in the field. Licensing requirements include first aid/CPR training and liability insurance, a surety bond, and additional safety training and experience depending on what or where you will be guiding your customers through. An Outfitter Guide license may not be the only license you need in order to legally offer your services. The Oregon Marine Board administers the licensing program, and staff can answer your questions. Get more information on the Oregon Marine Board site.

Oregon Business Statistics

Who doesn’t love data? The Secretary of State offers public data in two locations:  

• Business Statistics - aggregate data about new business registrations with comparisons to previous months and years.
• Data.oregon.gov - more specific data based on criteria chosen by visitors. Remember: email addresses and phone numbers are not considered public record, so those won’t be part of any dataset.

Free labor market, employment data, and more is available at www.qualityinfo.org, which is run by the Oregon Employment Department’s Research Division.

Data Resources  Living in the 21st century has taught us that data offers value for your business. Entire portions of our economy operate on procuring and monetizing data, but there are also government agencies and non-profits that offer helpful information. Do you want to know more about an area in which you might open or expand your business? Do you have an idea for a business, but need data for your business plan? There are many reasons to seek out tech firms or consultants when it’s time to crunch numbers, but small businesses and start-ups may not be able to pay for their services. If you’re willing and able to do some of the work yourself, consider some of the resources listed below. This is not a comprehensive list, but can be a good start for locating useful data. qualityinfo.org Data.oregon.gov Small Business Development Center Data.SBA.gov Census Bureau - Business & Economy Census Academy - Learning Hub Oregon Office of Economic Analysis

Technical Assistance Corner

Adelante Mujeres

Adelante Mujeres, a nonprofit organization based in Forest Grove, helps small businesses through its Empresas Small Business Development Program. The types of assistance Adelante Mujeres provides include training, networking opportunities, technical assistance, and access to capital. The goal of the Empresas program is to help “Latino entrepreneurs launch successful and sustainable small businesses.”

Empresas offerings include:

• A ten-week small business development course taught in Spanish that covers the essentials of planning and launching a business.
• The Cocinemos "Let's Cook!" Class offered in partnership with the City of Hillsboro. This is a 10-week course that “helps local Latino entrepreneurs overcome linguistic, financial, and cultural barriers to successfully start and grow food-based businesses in Hillsboro.”
• The Food-Based Incubator Program that helps low-income Latino entrepreneurs launch their food business by providing access to a shared commercial kitchen.
• Monthly workshops offered to Empresas members that educate small business owners on topics relevant to running and growing their business.
• Additional initiatives that help small business owners “to create a vibrant local economy and open up opportunities for all individuals to pursue their dreams.”

Find out more on the Empresas Small Business Development Program website.

Obtenga más información en el sitio web del Programa de Desarrollo de Pequeñas Empresas.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 1—BizCon, Alt Coworking, McMinnville, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Oct. 6—SBA Partner Event, Email Marketing Trends (online); 6 - 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Oct. 11—SBA Partner Event, Turning Mad Into Glad: Improving Service, Handling Complaints (online); 12 - 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Oct. 14—Latino Business Alliance, Café Y Pan Dulce, Salem, 8 - 9:30 a.m.

Oct. 19—Psilocybin Services Fall Forum, Virtual only, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Oct. 28—OAME Coffee and Issues, Portland, 7:30 - 9 a.m.

If you’ve spent time on websites for state agencies in Oregon, you may have noticed this button. Clicking the Need Help button will take you to our website that explains how we can help, as well as the circumstances under which we can or can’t assist you.

It’s not unusual for businesses to click this button thinking that they’re contacting the agency whose website they were visiting, but it’s actually us, at the Office of Small Business Assistance. We’re here to help you deal with those agencies, but we aren’t part of any of them: we’re with the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division. If you find yourself with an issue you’ve genuinely tried to resolve, and you just aren’t getting anywhere, please reach out to us.

Agency Spotlight: Oregon Department of Revenue Resources for Withholding and Payroll Tax Get free training for your group or association to understand Oregon payroll taxes. The Withholding and Payroll Tax outreach program partners with private sector stakeholders and government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. The program offers classes on: Payroll withholding taxes Transit programs This training can help small businesses, tax preparers and others. To get scheduled, Contact Chris Cox, outreach coordinator, at 503-509-5188 or payroll.outreached@dor.oregon.gov DOR also has other resources, in the customer portal at revenueonline.dor.oregon.gov. This system allows you to see and complete certain actions for tax programs administered by the Department of Revenue. For example, you can make an Oregon payroll payment for Oregon unemployment insurance, state withholding, Statewide Transit Tax, Worker Benefit Fund, and Tri-Met and Lane Transit Tax. DOR also has a library of information at www.oregon.gov/dor/. Find information concerning tax programs and download forms and publications. Here you can get answers to your questions without having to spend time on a phone call..