“Breakfast for Dinner” + A Most Entertaining Tax Talk = Fun for All!
NEW DATE & LOCATION: Due to burst pipes causing water damage at the SMILE Station, AHB is meeting at Woodstock Wine & Deli this month, and the meeting date has been changed from Thursday to Tuesday. (All details below.)
BE SURE TO BRING YOUR APPETITE to the next AHB meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. We’re meeting at Woodstock Wine & Deli, 4030 SE Woodstock Blvd., located at the southwest corner of SE 41st Ave. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Sheldon Penner of Chris Cakes Northwest will be doing what he does best: flipping pancakes! It’s all you can eat of his own secret recipe pancakes, served up with sausages and scrambled eggs, along with coffee and orange TANG to drink! [In case you want to spike that Tang, beer and wine will be available for purchase from Woodstock Wine & Deli.] The Chief Flipper brings his unparalleled talents, one of which is humor. The success of Chris Cakes Northwest, as seen on KOIN, is found in its mission of turning standard pancake breakfast events into fun, interactive food experiences. Come and celebrate the joy and laughter of being a kid again.
After dinner, er, breakfast, we are in for a real treat: An annual up-to-date review of tax-filing tips for freelancers presented by Portland tax man Kevin Minkoff, CPA. “Not your ordinary bean counter,” Kevin’s talks are most informative, enlightening and entertaining! So come with all your tax questions, ready to take notes.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by Monday, February 12, to help with food planning:
Email communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326. Thank you!
Association of Home Businesses Exists to Serve People Working From Home
The question is…How can we better serve YOU?
For over 30 years, the Association of Home Businesses (AHB), a nonprofit membership organization, has held monthly in-person meetings to offer camaraderie, networking, and shared expertise for people engaged in home-based enterprises and/or self-employment. For a mere $10, our in-person meetings include dinner (simple fare like pizza, tacos, salads), and the enjoyment of breaking bread with like-minded independent operators has the added value of reducing isolation for people who spend most of their days alone. (This month, dinner is free! Read on…)
Still in the throes of recovery from pandemic-induced virtual realities, AHB core members have begun to reexamine our role in the community and ask how we can better serve our target audience. Indeed, one question is whether our circle should widen to include people who are employed by companies but now work at home rather than going to an office.
We would love to get input from more people to help guide our future.
If you are self-employed or a professional working from home interested in connecting with local community, we invite you to join us on Thursday, January 18, 2024, for the AHB Annual General Meeting. Past participants are more than welcome to join us for this special meeting.
After a brief election of 2024 board members, President Mark Ripkey will facilitate a brainstorming session on questions such as: How can AHB best serve our defined community? What will attract more members? Are the types of programs we’ve held in the past few years of high interest or value? Are there other topics, services or opportunities AHB could offer that would make membership and meetings more attractive? Shall we strive for in-person, virtual, or hybrid format?
We hope you will join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion from 7:00 to 9:00 PM Thursday evening, January 18, 2024.
January Dinner is on us! We are offering a free buffet supper for all attendees on a first come, first served basis. RSVP to communications@ahboregon.org, or by phone to 503-757-0014. Space is limited to 15, so reserve today to save your spot!
January Meeting Location: This month we meet in the Hainley Room on the lower level of SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th at Tenino (one block south of Tacoma Street) in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
Digital Marketing for the Home-based Business
Join the Association of Home Businesses Thursday evening, November 16, 2023, for a talk on current trends in digital marketing for small businesses, presented by Albert Kaufman, a Portland-based expert on the subject. AHB extends a warm invitation to owners and managers of all types of small business for this presentation, which promises to be well worth the cover charge of $10. Virtual attendees are also welcome to join the meeting via Zoom for no charge.
Registration required: If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, November 14, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326.
Our Complex Healthcare System, Simplified!
Access to easy, quality healthcare is paramount for people during their lives. However, our healthcare/health insurance system is unnecessarily complicated and broken. This is the reason Adam Reid helps people in this space.
This evening, Adam will simplify the main points of our healthcare system so people can better understand and access it (including available subsidies). This will include both Medicare and Marketplace plans. His goal is to make a traditionally boring topic fun and engaging.
Adam has been in the health insurance space for over 7 years. Prior to health insurance, Adam worked in educational policy, setting up high school programs throughout the Portland area (also navigating complex policies). Adam owned many small businesses throughout his career and holds a master’s degree in policy analysis from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s of Science from Portland State University.
To learn more about Adam and the services he provides, visit https://www.healthplansinoregon.com/adam-reid/.
JOIN US IN PERSON OR ONLINE:
DATE/TIME: Thursday, September 21, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Pizza, Salad, Dessert & Coffee 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave. (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202 (or join us on Zoom)
COST: $10 door for in-person meeting includes a light dinner. Non-members welcome. No charge for virtual attendees.
REGISTRATION: Registration required. If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, September 19, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326. When you RSVP, please let us know if you plan to attend virtually, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.
How to Raise Rates Without Raising a Ruckus
On Thursday, October 19, Marketing Strategist Sandy Hubbard returns for a command presentation on a topic that is sure to resonate – how to raise rates without raising a ruckus.
Many of us got through the last three years without raising rates – because why upset the applecart, right?
But the reality is, we must raise rates to survive and thrive.
In this hands-on workshop, Sandy will guide us in calculating how much to raise rates, how best to announce the increase, the right tone to take, and what to do if customers push back.
Raising rates or prices presents challenges for businesses of all sizes, and AHB extends a warm invitation to owners and managers of all kinds of businesses — not just home-based enterprises — to join us.
The valuable coaching session covers a lot of ground, and promises to be well worth the $10 cover charge. Social time begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 19, followed by a family-style dinner and Sandy’s talk.
REGISTRATION: Registration required. If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, October 17, 2023, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326.
Your Website Needs To Be More Than Just A Pretty Face
With a writer’s knack for clarity, Mark Whittaker serves small business owners overwhelmed by online marketing jargon. He not only helps them get results; he understands the numbers behind those results.
Mark shares his expertise with AHB in a live online presentation on Thursday, July 20. Tune in from home via Zoom or watch with us in person and enjoy conversation and a casual dinner in Sellwood.
Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., Mark is owner of Whitmark Digital, a one-person digital marketing agency that helps really small businesses with their websites, search optimization, search advertising, web content, and social media. A newspaper journalist for 31 years, Mark has spent the last nine of those years building and managing newspaper websites. Beginning in 2010, he helped build a start-up digital marketing agency. He launched Whitmark Digital after Covid, believing there must be a better way to guide small business owners through the maze of online marketing strategies, tactics, and tools.
To learn more, visit https://whitmarkdigital.com.
JOIN US IN PERSON OR ONLINE:
DATE/TIME: Thursday, July 20, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Dinner 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave. (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202 (or join us on Zoom)
COST: $10 door for in-person meeting includes supper. Non-members welcome. No charge for virtual attendees.
REGISTRATION: Registration required. If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, July 18, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326. When you RSVP, please let us know if you plan to attend virtually, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.
Self-employment on the Road to Self-actualization
Join us Thursday, June 22, for a talk by Becky Luening, sole proprietor of a home-based graphic design and editing service called Becky Luening Book Arts. Drawing from personal and professional life experience, Becky will lay out her unique philosophy of what we call “work” and tell how following her heart and choosing to be a free agent at a young age set her on a path of self-development that continues to this day. She will also share some of the basic business tips she has picked up along the way.
IN PERSON WITH A VIRTUAL OPTION
DATE/TIME: Thursday, June 22, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Dinner 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave. (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202 (or join us on Zoom)
COST: $10 door for in-person meeting includes supper. Non-members welcome. No charge for virtual attendees.
REGISTRATION: Registration required. If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, June 20, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326. When you RSVP, please let us know if you plan to attend virtually, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.
Build Your Business by Getting Involved In Your Community
Nancy Chapin, a co-founder of the organization that became Venture Portland, has been providing invaluable support for business districts all around Southeast Portland for decades—in volunteer, staff, board and advisory roles. Nancy will discuss how getting involved in the community can energize your business and bring greater success.
Bridget Bayer has expertise and has authored books on producing street fairs and marketing through events. She will talk about how to promote home-based businesses at community events, and how getting involved in small business marketing events can lead to long-term business relationships that help build your client base.
IN PERSON WITH A VIRTUAL OPTION
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 18, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Dinner 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave. (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202 (or join us on Zoom)
COST: $10 door for in-person meeting includes supper. Non-members welcome. No charge for virtual attendees.
REGISTRATION: Registration required. If you plan to attend, please send an email by Tuesday, May 16, to communications@ahboregon.org or call 503-232-2326. When you RSVP, please let us know if you plan to attend virtually, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.
Opening Doors to Fulfilling Work
Aubrie De Clerck, featured speaker at AHB’s April 20, 2023 meeting, is a career coach who helps people open doors to fulfilling work. She has over 15 years of experience in supporting people in entrepreneurial, corporate, non-profit, and education environments. Aubrie is known for being highly inspirational and deeply practical, meeting clients with warmth and acceptance. She calls her practice Coaching for Clarity.
Aubrie has developed a component in her coaching practice using a process known as Threads. “Threads are the things about us that don’t change. Things you do naturally. Your gifts. You couldn’t stop doing them if you tried. If you are looking for ways to talk about yourself and your business in a genuine and compelling way, Threads can help!”
Aubrie’s virtual presentation will be projected on the big screen at our in-person dinner meeting at the SMILE Station (details below).
DATE/TIME: Thursday, April 20, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Dinner 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202 (or join us on ZOOM)
COST: $10 door for in-person meeting includes supper. Non-members welcome. No charge for virtual attendees.
REGISTRATION: To make sure we there is enough food for all who attend in person, please RSVP via email to communications@ahboregon.org or via phone, 503-232-2326. This is a hybrid meeting. People who prefer to join via Zoom are more than welcome to join us at no charge with prior registration. When you RSVP, please let us know if you plan to attend virtually, so we can send you the Zoom meeting link.
Learn to Use Canva
CANVA is a free, cloud-based designing tool that is simple to use and learn. With its numerous templates, drag-and-drop interface, and thousands of design assets, anyone can create beautiful marketing materials, including flyers, postcards, social media posts, presentations, and video.
At AHB’s next monthly meeting, Thursday, March 16, 2023, Zoe Morrison will demonstrate this powerful tool for marketing, offer basic Canva tips and tricks, and provide a Q&A session afterwards. The virtual presentation will be projected on the big screen at our in-person dinner meeting in the Sellwood neighborhood of Southeast Portland.
Zoe Morrison has provided remote administrative tech support and social media services to home-based and small businesses throughout the country since 2007. An active member of AHB, Zoe is sole proprietor of a photo scanning service. Find her on Instagram @zoemorrisondigitalnomad.
DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Doors 6:00 pm | Dinner 6:30 | Program 7:00
LOCATION: SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave (at Tenino, one block south of Tacoma), Portland, Oregon, 97202
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.