Small business

Published on: March 17, 2009

Starting a Business in Oregon

By Laura Orr

We meet a lot of people who want to start a business but don’t know where to begin. Entrepreneurs with great ideas don’t always have good business sense, but they can acquire it (usually) – or find business partners who have it.

Before you plonk down the first month’s rent on a store front, or invest in any alleged money-making endeavor (especially if it eats), read the Starting a Business guides from the Oregon Corporation Division.

Other business start-up websites that are sometimes overlooked include ones you can find or link to from these:

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Published on: January 4, 2009

Setting Up Business as a Debt Collector in Oregon

By Laura Orr

We occasionally get questions from people who want to set up business as debt collectors. It’s a tough business and I recommend an apprenticeship first, but who am I to stop the dreamers who want to set up shop, in the food business, in retail, in debt collection, in private investigation, or any other small business endeavor.

Librarians like dreamers and some of our small business dreamers manage to make their dreams come true.

We also like dreamers who do their legal research. There are a lot of small business research resources all over the Internet, including the ones you’ll find at your public library and others like this Small Business Legal Clinic (and I blogged about it here).

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Published on: November 20, 2008

Small Business Legal Advice

By Laura Orr

I read this Small talk blurb in the Thursday, October 23, 2008, Oregonian, and found some good advice and resources for small business owners:

Excerpts from Small talk:

“…Many small-business owners believe you should never go it alone — you should always have a support system, whether it consists of financial advisers, mentors, fellow entrepreneurs or consultants, to guide you. It’s true in the best of economic times, and it’s certainly the case in the current climate.
…
This is an extremely difficult economy, and even veterans need a sounding board. They find it from a growing number of resources, among them peer or networking groups, mentors, professional and trade groups and government-sponsored organizations such as SCORE, an association of executives that counsels small-business owners. Very often, this help comes at no cost.

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Published on: August 22, 2008

Law of the Lemonade Stand

By Laura Orr

IS there Law of the Lemonade Stand? You bet. Read this story from ABC News, Mayor Shutters Children’s Produce Stand For Lack of Permits: Eleven-Year-Old Says Melons, Zucchini Were Her Biggest Sellers, by Sarah Netter, Aug. 21, 2008.

And see this story too: If someone hands you a lemon, get a permit.

The season for lemonade might be winding down, but fall produce is not far behind.

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Published on: August 23, 2007

Oregon Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) Research Resources

By Laura Orr

Ordinary people (non-attorneys) often ask law librarians the most complex legal questions and expect answers. It’s a mystery. We show people how to fish – we don’t give them fish. If you want fish, call an attorney. (It’s ok – I won’t take this overused analogy much further, but it is a useful one, though putting fish in the same sentence with lawyers is not a little risky.)

Now about those LLCs … If you want to research LLCs, you have lots of options. I’m listing them here because sometimes when talking to a library patron I always manage to leave one out. I’m going to list the resources here and give readers a chance to add to the list if I’ve missed anything.

I. The Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division

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Published on: February 28, 2007

Small Business Information in the Portland Metro Area

By Laura Orr

Public libraries can be an excellent starting place for researching small business matters and we have two in the metro area with not only excellent business book collections and databases, but expert librarian assistance too.

Librarians who specialize in BizRef are at the Beaverton City Library and the Multnomah County Library. The Central Library, in downtown Portland, has the largest collection but both Beaverton and Central have librarian specialists. (Few Multnomah County branch libraries have librarians except for Children’s librarians. They do have trained reference assistants, but for full business reference librarian service, try Central or Beaverton.) All the Multnomah County Libraries and most of the Washington County public libraries have remote access database services and books through their respective online catalogs and web pages. You will need a library card to use these databases remotely.

Note: In case you were wondering, which only about 3 of you are, but you count! Multnomah County has what could be called a “Unified” public library system. All the public libraries, what we know of as the Central Library and the branches (Belmont, Midland, Rockwood, Hollywood, etc.), within the county are part of a single system, the Multnomah County Library, under the authority of the Multnomah County Commissioners.

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