Reinventing Rural Logo

CORE

Launch Your Small Business Idea or

Refine Your Current Business Model


CO.STARTERS 10-Week CORE Program Equips Aspiring Entrepreneurs with the Insights, Relationships, and Tools to Turn Ideas into Action  

Creating thriving business communities

Partner with Reinventing Rural and CO.STARTERS to jumpstart your business goals

If you are interested in an upcoming Fall 2023 CO.STARTERS Core Program please register your interest below and be sure to select your region.

CO.STARTERS Core Programs for Fall 2023

Additional regions may be added to the Fall calendar so if you don't see a region that works for you, please select the "At Large" region.


 Mid Coast OR Region - Lincoln County and surrounding areas

Date TBA

 North Coast OR Region - Tillamook County and surrounding areas

Date TBA

Northeast OR Region - Baker, Union, Wallowa Counties

 Dates TBA

Greater Eastern North OR - Gilliam, Wheeler, Morrow, Umatilla

Dates TBA

Mid Willamette Valley OR - Polk County -Dallas

Dates TBA

 Southeast OR  - Harney County - Burns

Starts September 18th

Southeast OR - Malheur County - Ontario

Starts September 12th -  Register Here

South Willamette Valley OR - Lane County -Cottage Grove, OR

Dates TBA

At Large - Virtual (areas not listed)

Join a cohort of like-minded starters and look at your business from a customer-centric view

There is no fee to register your interest. Once you register here, you will be contacted by a Program Manager or Facilitator who will help you decide if Core is right for you. In most cases, the cost of Core is covered by grant funding and scholarships and your Facilitator will share with financial support options.

EXPLORE. QUESTION. ACT

CO.STARTERS CORE provides an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people.

co.starters cORE program

Turn ideas into action

CO.STARTERS Core provides an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people. Over ten sessions, you’ll identify your assumptions about why and how your businesses will work and then talk to customers in order to validate your ideas. This approach enables you to rapidly uncover flaws in your concept and find viable models more quickly. You’ll leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate your model, and repeat the process with your next great idea.

CO.STARTERS CLASS PHOTO

co.starters core program

co.starters
core program

Who Should Participate

Any Small business entrepreneur who is...

  • Ready to pursue their endeavor and wants to fine-tune their idea, critically examine each part, and determine next steps 
  • Serious about doing what it takes to launch your business
  • Has started a business but needs a better model  
  • Open to working on their idea in a collaborative, supportive, and welcoming environment 
  • Feeling isolated and needing support
  • Looking for more than just immediate assistance
  • Is adding a major service or product with a new customer in mind

CO.STARTERS core PROGRAM

Develop New Skills

CORE helps participants:

  • Understand themselves and their working styles
  • Look at their business idea from a customer-centric view.
  • Craft messages which convey value and solutions
  • Understand "starting small" and how to scale
  • Determine startup costs and break even points
  • Identify long term  strategies for sustainability
  • Tap into a virtual cohort of peers
  • Connect with mentors & advisors
  • Access online content and additional resources
  • Receive ongoing support through a virtual community
CO.STARTERS CORE CLASS

10 Sessions

Working with a dedicated group of like minded peers, participants cover the following topics in a series of ten 3–hour sessions:

Session 1: Knowing Yourself

Session 2: Knowing  Your Customer

Session 3: Finding the Right Solution

Session 4: Getting the Relationship Right

Session 5: Building Blocks

Session 6: Structures & Systems

Session 7: Discovering the Bottom Line

Session 8: Financial Modeling

Session 9: Planning for Growth

Session 10: Celebration

Not Ready for Core?

Bootcamp 2-Day Workshops are coming to many rural communities in Winter and Spring. Check out Bootcamp and let us know you are interested in learning more.

CO.STARTERS CORE

PROGRAM MANAGERS AND FACILITATORS

Misty Lambrecht - Program Manager and Facilitator

Mid Coast and Tillamook

I have owned Webfoot Marketing and Design, a website development company in Oregon, for over 15 years and have worked on a variety of small business, nonprofit, college and government websites. I am a Google-certified trainer, GrowthWheel® and Profit Mastery® Certified. I teach a variety of classes ranging from social media, web design, and profitability to small businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest.


I am a CO.STARTERS graduate from the Fall 2022 Northeast Oregon cohort and I'm excited to bring this program to other rural communities.

Andrea Letham - CO.STARTERS Program Manager & Facilitator
Southeast Oregon

I am a business advisor with the Treasure Valley Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a volunteer with the BizHarney Opportunity Collaborative, and a Reinventing Rural Ambassador. I love to work one-on-one with businesses to help them be successful and can assist with marketing, bookkeeping, capital access, business planning, website development, and much more.

We delivered the first Core program in Oregon in Fall 2021 and I am so exctied to have the opportunity to be a CO.STARTERS Program Manager and bring the magic of CO.STARTERS to Harney County and Southeast Oregon.

Darin Huffaker- Facilitator

Western Treasure Valley

Darin has built and run several small businesses from startups to multi-million dollars. He has purchased over 15 companies himself and sold a handful of them over the last 20 years in the service industry.

Darin has had substantial experience in his own businesses from building customer service platforms to creating employee handbooks and organization charts and successfully running marketing programs to compete in some of the most competitive markets in the USA.

Jess Felix - Facilitator

Central to my work is supporting regional economic development in rural communities and providing technical assistance to rural artisan businesses and their communities. From building and managing e-commerce sites to generating traffic through social media marketing, I help to connect online sales platforms to customers. I also work directly with owners of small creative businesses, providing them the support they need to grow and build.

As a small business owner, I sell my ceramic work online and at markets under Polyhedra Arts. I am also an independent teaching artist, providing instruction to beginners and all ages. I will be a Co-starters facilitator for the Fern Ridge community, which is a small rural region based at the foothills of the Oregon Coast range, beginning in March 2022.

Lisa Dawson - Program Manager  Facilitator Northeast Oregon

I am the Executive Director of the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District and have worked in economic development, serving both organizations and businesses, since 1989. I enjoy working with entrepreneurs and business owners and am proud to be part of a collaborative effort to increase technical assistance, networking, skill-building and financing for entrepreneurs.

I am proud to have delivered one of the first Core programs in Oregon and I'm looking forward to launching CO.STARTERS in Union, Wallowa and Baker counties and helping small business entrepreneurs start and grow.

Brittany Dark - Facilitator

Sherman County

"Brittany likes to focus where passion meets purpose. Currently the Grant & Outreach Coordinator for the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, Sherman County Ambassador with the Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce, Facilitator of CO. STARTERS and owner of United Front Financial Coaching she is able to serve businesses in all levels of development. "I'm excited for business collaboration focusing on community over competition taking root again in rural Oregon.We all can't do everything but together we can do it all." #Strongertogether



2021 RESULTS NATION WIDE




By walking me through the creation of a business plan, helping me define my target audience, and emphasizing the importance of marketing and promotion, CO.STARTERS helped to demystify the process of entrepreneurship and ensure that I got off on the right foot.

Core Participant 

CO.STARTERS provided me with the most powerful thing in an entrepreneur’s journey: a little shove. Each week it was a critical reminder to keep forging the foundation of my business, and it provided a community of support that continues to prove invaluable in my daily operations and goals.

Core Participant 

What can I expect from CO.Starters CORE??

CORE is an action-driven, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded people. Led by a facilitator who is an experienced entrepreneur, you’ll identify your assumptions about why and how your businesses will work and then talk to customers in order to validate your ideas. This approach enables you to rapidly uncover flaws in your concept and find viable models more quickly. You’ll leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate your model, and repeat the process with your next great idea

Is CORE right for me?

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, or a seasoned entrepreneur looking to launch a new product or service, CORE is for you. The only real prerequisites are (1) having an idea you’re ready, willing, and excited to share and pursue and (2) a willingness to study, shape and fine-tune that idea in a supportive, collaborative, and welcoming environment. If you’re creative and community-minded, and you’re serious about turning your passion into a sustainable business, we want you to participate.

How Many Hours per week will I need to commit?

Each session meets once a week for 3 hours. You will be challenged to talk to customers—or potential customers—each week, as it is a critical element of building a business.

 
Reinventing Rural & CoStarters Logo

Reinventing Rural brings you the magic of CO.STARTERS to your rural community so that you can build a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. We ensure you develop pipelines of support for your starters at every stage of their journey.

Bring CO.STARTERS CORE to your rural community

Reinventing Rural & CoStarters Logo

Reinventing Rural brings you the magic of CO.STARTERS to your rural community so that you can build a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. We ensure you develop pipelines of support for your starters at every stage of their journey.

If you are interested in CO.STARTERS for your community or for your small business, please let us know by clicking below. We promise to get back to you as soon as we can. Can't wait? Call us at 541-204-1913.

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