From Your Brain to Broadband: How to deliver your ideas online and get paid for it

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You already have the knowledge, ideas, and services perfectly suited for reaching online customers. How do you set up online systems to deliver content and accept payment?

Damashe Thomas of Bedrock Innovations will answer that very question at the May 19th meeting of the Association of Home Businesses. Whether you are looking to sell ebooks or teach an online course, Damashe will discuss the best solutions available. From DIY and plug-and-play options to fully-customized solutions, this valuable overview will help you decide which will work best for your business and your budget. Learn about:

  • Platforms for selling products and digital content
  • Payment processing options
  • Integrating third-party services with your website
  • And more

AHB is once again meeting in person! Plan to be at SMILE Station, S.E. 13th at Tenino (a block south of Tacoma) in Sellwood, on Thursday evening, May 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. The $10 door fee includes supper; meetings are open to everyone. To attend, simply RSVP by sending an email to: communications@ahboregon.org or call 503/232-2326.

Damashe Thomas is the founder and Chief Technology Consultant of Bedrock Innovations, llc. He partners with small business owners by handling their back-office and web tech and helping his clients understand how to make smart technology choices. As a family man and small business owner who is also blind, Damashe has a broader-than-usual perspective on what needs to happen to make technology work comfortably for everyone. Whether you are running a side-gig off your dining room table or need to make sure your staff has accessible, practical solutions to everyday problems, Damashe and his team at Bedrock have right-sized options for your business. 

9 Essential Productivity Tips

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“You CAN manage it all, if you follow nine productivity tips,” says Zoe Morrison, virtual presenter at AHB’s June 16th in-person meeting. “Most of us have a world of productivity tools at our fingertips, but don’t know how to use them.”

In this session, Zoe, a self-described “digital nomad and Google evangelist,” will walk us through nine tools that can be used to streamline your work flow. She’ll compare apples to oranges, and provide insight into how to make the most of the tools at hand, whether managing a team of one or one hundred.

DATE/TIME: Thursday, June 16. Doors open 6:00pm, dinner served at 6:30, program begins at 7:00.

LOCATION: SMILE Station, S.E. 13th at Tenino (a block south of Tacoma), Sellwood Neighborhood, Portland, Oregon

COST: $10 door fee includes supper; open to everyone.

RSVP: To make sure we have enough food for all who attend, we kindly request attendees to RSVP in advance via email to communications@ahboregon.org or via phone, 503-232-2326.

Pivoting to Keep Up with the Times

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In response to the many challenges presented by COVID-19 and its variants these past two years, many businesses, organizations and individuals have changed the way they do business, meet their organizational goals and/or take care of their families. Pivoting became an apt description for the quick responses required in navigating a constantly changing landscape leading to an unknown future.

Join AHB Thursday evening, March 17, for a conversation about “pivoting” led by AHB member Nancy Chapin of TSG Services. In her roles as lead organizer of the Hawthorne Street Fair and President of the 82nd Avenue Business Association, among others, Nancy has demonstrated great pivoting skill. How have you and others managed? How would you assist others in identifying methods and thinking through potential results? What have these operational adaptations meant for your business and what do they or can they mean for the future of our communities and our lives? Please join us for what promises to be a lively discussion.

DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 17. Doors open 6:00pm, dinner served at 6:30, program begins at 7:00.

LOCATION: SMILE Station, S.E. 13th at Tenino (a block south of Tacoma), Sellwood Neighborhood, Portland, Oregon

COST: $10 door fee includes supper; open to everyone.

RSVP: To make sure we have enough food for all who attend, we kindly request attendees to RSVP in advance via email to communications@ahboregon.org or via phone, 503-232-2326.

10 Proven Strategies to Lower Your Schedule C Taxes

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Join the Association of Home Businesses Thursday, February 17, for another fine program for small business people and freelancers presented by local tax preparer Kevin Minkoff, CPA. Kevin will discuss a number of strategies for lowering your Schedule C taxes—covering health reimbursement accounts, employing spouses and under-age-18 children, renting from your spouse, home office deductions, business vehicle deductions, de minimis fringe benefits, business travel, and the smartphone rule—followed by Q&A. Kevin is known for lively presentations that are both informative and entertaining!

AHB meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. The February 17th meeting is the first in-person meeting held since February 2020, and we look forward to seeing people in person—please know that we will ask you to mask up while not eating.

DATE/TIME: Thursday, February 17. Doors open 6:00pm, dinner served at 6:30, program begins at 7:00.

LOCATION: SMILE Station, S.E. 13th at Tenino (a block south of Tacoma), Sellwood Neighborhood, Portland, Oregon

COST: $10 door fee includes supper; open to everyone.

RSVP: To make sure we have enough food for all who attend, we kindly request attendees to RSVP in advance via email to communications@ahboregon.org or via phone, 503-232-2326. This is a hybrid meeting, meaning people who prefer to join via Zoom are more than welcome to join us as well. When you RSVP, please let us know you plan to do so, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.

Breakfast for Dinner

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The January 20, 2022 meeting of the Association of Home Businesses was to be our first in-person meeting since March of 2019, featuring Gladstone pancake flipper Sheldon Penner serving up his incomparable “Breakfast for Dinner.” As Chris Cakes Northwest, Sheldon has prepared breakfast for hundreds at special community and private events all over Oregon. Last year, he made parking lot breakfasts for many wildfire refugees.

However, you may have to wait for another occasion to experience this extraordinary “breakfast for dinner” experience.

Due to exceptionally high numbers of Omicron variant COVID-19 numbers occurring in Multnomah County at this time, we have pivoted back to virtual mode for our January meeting. For the program, as planned, attendees will be invited to share recommendations for computer and/or or smartphone apps that may be useful for people in business, especially those who are self-employed and/or working at home.

To receive the meeting link, please RSVP via email at communications@ahboregon.org.

Get Better Results from Your Marketing Efforts

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At the Thursday, November 18 meeting of the Association of Home Businesses, Sandy Hubbard will talk about “How to Get Better Results from Your Marketing Efforts.” 

Sandy Hubbard is an experienced Marketing Strategist based in Sellwood. She helps owners of large and small businesses get control of their marketing programs and achieve measurable results.

Membership in AHB is $60 per year. Our “Third Thursday”  monthly meetings are currently open to interested business people at no charge until we start meeting in person again. This is a great opportunity to hear from experts on issues that affect home-based business owners. 

This meeting will be held on Zoom with informal social time starting at 6 p.m., introductions and AHB business at 6:30, and the presentation at 7 p.m. If you have specific questions for Sandy, please email them when you RSVP at Communications@ahboregon.org. You will receive instructions by email on how to log into the meeting.

For more information about the Association of Home Businesses, or to join AHB through our secure portal, click here.

Flipping the Coin: A different way to view money

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Attitudes about money may be holding you back.

The Association of Home Businesses’ favorite money gurus, Robb Hatley and Shell Tain, unite to deliver a timely program for individuals and small business people at AHB’s October 21st meeting.

“We will dig into why we all have such odd beliefs about money, and the unfortunate consequences. We’ll explain how to shift those beliefs and experience the real benefits of a different ‘money thought process.’” The pair promise to help you unshackle yourself from unconscious money assumptions that are holding you back!

This meeting will be held on Zoom with informal social time starting at 6 p.m., introductions and AHB business at 6:30, and the presentation at 7 p.m.

Everyone is welcome—and at no charge during the pandemic. To RSVP and get the Zoom coordinates, e-mail: Communications@ahboregon.org.

10 Ways to Simplify Your Small Business Bookkeeping

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AHB Presents Lura Frazey, Easy E-Office, LLC
Thursday, September 16, 2021, 6:30 PM on Zoom

Fourth quarter is just around the corner, have you laboriously and meticulously kept your bookkeeping up-to-date? Or will you, once again, be scrambling to get your books organized as best you can a few days before your taxes have to be filed? Either way, don’t miss 10 Ways to Simplify Your Small Business Bookkeeping.

Lura Frazey will share practical strategies for handling your bookkeeping in less time without losing your mind. You’ll learn about:

  • The inspiring side of bookkeeping and what it can do for you
  • How to streamline your bookkeeping systems to save yourself time and frustration
  • Two critical accounting skills every business owner needs to know, even if you outsource your bookkeeping

Lura Frazey is a full-charge bookkeeper and owner of Easy E-Office, LLC. For more than 20 years, she has been working with small businesses because she likes helping people she knows achieve their goals.

The online presentation is free. For Zoom info, RSVP to communications@ahboregon.org

Building Your Brand on YouTube, Even if You’re an Introvert

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Video is a powerful way to spread your message! Increase your audience using branded video content.

John AHB on Thursday, July 15, 2021, for a discussion with Zoe Morrison on best practices and processes for creating long-form video content. Topics to be covered include:

  • Branding your scripts
  • Creating original content
  • Utilizing video styles
  • Getting your video seen
  • Resources at your fingertips

Zoe Morrison is a corporate and personal historian and the owner of My Beautiful Life Story. She provides services that allow businesses and community members to tell their stories using print, video, imagery, and oral tradition.

The meeting starts at 6:30 pm with introductions and networking; Zoe’s presentation starts at 7:00