Small Business Management Program

Boost your business’s success via this hands-on business-coaching program. Gain access to tools that give you an edge while enjoying a safe environment to try new things and share your successes and challenges.

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What is the Small Business Management Program?

The Small Business Management program (SBM) runs October through June, with nine monthly sessions total, including a final capstone pitch event at the end; each session is three hours, once a month, giving you time to plan ahead, keep working in your business, and still dive deep to make real progress.

Is This Program Right for You?

Ask yourself:

• Do you have a real, active business you are committed to growing this year?
• Are you open to learning from your peers and ready to share your own challenges and ideas?
• Do you have a specific goal you want to develop, with real feedback, practical support and a chance to pitch for funding?
• Do you want your business to have a positive impact on your community?

If you are nodding “yes,” you will get a lot out of this. This is strategic, real-world and inquiry-based. You will ask relevant questions, test ideas and make clear decisions you can stand behind. Show up prepared, contribute to the conversation and try things out with your peers.

Who is Eligible?

There are a limited number of spaces open to select businesses and an application is required for selection. Prerequisites: In business for one year, have at least one full-time employee beyond the owner, able to produce monthly finance statements (bookkeeping/accounting software), and commit to working on improving your business.

What You Will Do

• Work with real-world case studies, in-depth, real examples from actual companies, to draw lessons you can apply to your own business
• Prepare before each session so you are ready to contribute to discussions and test new ideas
• Define a venture project, a focused, strategic goal for your business and work on it throughout the program
• Collaborate in a small peer group to get ready for case discussions, share experiences and hold each other accountable
• Lead the conversations in a flipped classroom style, taking an active role in shaping the learning
• Wrap up with a capstone and live pitch event for a chance to win part of a $10,000 prize pool to help move your project forward

What is a case study?

A case study is a real-life business story or scenario that you analyze to understand what worked, what didn’t, and why. Instead of just theory, you examine actual decisions made by real companies and apply those lessons to your own situation. A good case study challenges you to think critically, consider different options, and practice making decisions...in an academic, discussion-based setting = low stakes for practice.

What I Will Do

• Facilitate each discussion to keep it practical and focused, sharing my insights and experiences alongside yours
• Bring the case study approach to life. I have used it more and more over the past two years and completed formal training through a case teaching seminar at Harvard Business School in 2024
• Be available for an extra hour of one-on-one advising with you each month, beyond the group sessions
• Make sure the pitch event is well attended and covered by local media so your business gains visibility
• Keep fine-tuning materials and making improvements along the way
• Show up authentically. I come from a military background, so you will get a mix of business frameworks and some “soldier talk” too.
• Bring good coffee and pastries to create a welcoming atmosphere

You will also have free access to our other SBDC advisors. Our team brings a wide range of expertise, most of us are experienced entrepreneurs or trained MBAs and some of us are both (that is me).

Information/Apply

For more information, please contact the COCC Small Business Development Center at sbdc@cocc.edu or 541-383-7290.

Submit an SBM Application Now!

No payment is due before a company is accepted into the program. Grants from the "Lindsay Stevens Scholarship" below may be available to eligible applicants. 

 

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Donate to the Lindsay Stevens Scholarship for Small Business Management

The SBM program gives small business owners the tools and skills needed to build a sustainable business. Hundreds of business owners have benefited from this program, adding economic vitality to the Central Oregon community. A scholarship was created to honor a beloved former SBM instructor, Lindsay Stevens; if you would like to contribute, please click on the blue button below!

*Minimum donation amount $5

"Lindsay Stevens devoted his professional life to inspiring, encouraging and challenging business owners to think differently and to be committed to their budgets, values and goals. He was the single reason some businesses in Central Oregon succeeded and grew. He loved his clients and was committed to the success and vision of their companies. Lindsay was also committed to the community where he donated so much of his time. He brought a new perspective to operational issues as a coach, cheerleader, mentor, adviser, and friend. He has left a legacy of conducting business correctly and making students' dreams a reality." Wendie Every, Every Idea Marketing