Are you wondering how AI can help your business?  Be my guest this Friday zoom at OAME where “Everybody’s In, Nobody’s Out” and EPCC Members get free OAME benefits.

DM me to discuss details about OAME that will e Hance your experience.

Join in via Zoom on July 21, 2023, from 7:30 am -8:30 am as our OAME panel will discuss ChatGPT tools and applications for small businesses. More details will be forthcoming.

Join Zoom Meeting  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7343369583

Meeting ID: 734 336 9583

One tap mobile

+16694449171,,7343369583# US

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Repair Grants for East County Multnomah County is offering small grants of up to $5,000 to help small businesses operating east of Interstate 205 to repair damage from recent vandalism. Businesses can use the funds to repair broken windows, remove graffiti and mend damage from vandalism that occurred since July 1, 2022. The County is partnering with Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) to distribute aid to small businesses. Learn more here

Apply In English or Spanish

I am sitting here in Port Ludlow looking at where the Hood Canal flows into the Puget Sound reading an email that I have a new client back in Portland.  This is a business I've never been to and an owner I've never met.  But because I invited everyone in my various business groups on social media to our Chamber meetings, this person attended.  And they decided to do business with me because of the standing I derived from being a Chamber member and being someone willing to help.

You will be surprised how easy it is to copy the Chamber announcements and post them into your LinkedIn profile and your various Facebook groups.  You don't have to be a complete stranger to benefit, your standing will improve with those you already know.  

If you know anyone wanting to attract and retain employees; find an easier way to run their business operations or live more and worry less, send them my way please!  Ron Schmidt LegalShield Business Plans and Employee Group Certified 503-539-6817 cell/text   Ron@ThePlanningGroup.ORG www.ThePlanningGroup.ORG  to see more about Family, Small Business & Employee Benefits or to enroll 

Is saying "Goodbye" hard to do? Preparing for a termination 

FREE Live Webinar 1.5 SHRM Recertification Credits
 
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Time: 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM MTN 
Location: Zoom

It's not an easy HR function to terminate an employee. Learn the many factors involved in terminating an employee. 

Join us Thursday, April 28, 2022, for this LIVE (this will NOT be recorded) informational webinar presentation by Rex W. Thompson, Attorney with Riggs/Abney, to learn about being prepared for an employee termination.
 
Learn the many factors involved in terminating an employee:
At will employment vs. "just cause"
Collective bargaining agreements
Discrimination based upon protected classes or status
Discharge in retaliation for filing a claim
Discharge in retaliation for a workplace injury or claim
Unemployment compensation issues
 
REGISTER for this FREE webinar at:
https://april28shrmcr.eventbrite.com
Be sure you write "Guest of Ron Schmidt"
 
1.5 SHRM Recertification Credits
 
Guest Speaker: Rex W. Thompson, Attorney with Riggs, 

Feel free to share this invitation with other HR professionals or business owners who could benefit from this event as well.

It's Your Business to Know...

Wed, March 23, 2022 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM PDT

As an HR Professional or Business Owner, you wear many hats, it is critical to know how issues will affect your business and employees

About this event

As a Business Owner or HR Professional, part of what we need to consider is how we protect our businesses. From start-ups to mature organizations, it is critical we understand how various issues impact our businesses. In this presentation we will cover:

• Mask Mandates in the workplace
• My boss says she’s in love with me
• Covenants not to compete
• Dirty Deeds (someone can steal your house and it happens more than you think) While this is not business specific it is of interest to many people.

Our special guest is Robert N. Sewell Partner Davis Miles McGuire Gardner, PLLC. Mr. Sewell's practice includes Probate & Trust Administration, Real Estate Litigation, Arbitration/Mediation, and Commercial Litigation. Mr. Sewell’s litigation experience involves cases in federal, state, and administrative settings. He also resolves disputes through mediation, arbitration, as well as bench and jury trials. Mr. Sewell has also worked as a professor of business law.

Mr. Sewell is the host of the popular legal podcast, "Is That Even Legal" Join him to learn more at: https://www.evenlegal.com/

SHRM - 1.5 CE credits

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/its-your-business-to-know-registration-288998160277

Indicate you are the guest of Ron Schmidt to avoid corporate follow ups. Feel free to pass on to other business owners or HR professionals who would like the SHRM credits or legal updates.

by LegalShield, Davis Miles McGuire Gardner, PLLC & www.ThePlanningGroup.Org 

What a powerful combination OAME and EPCC! yOuAndME are EPiCc! https://oame.org/wp-content/uploads/Weekly-Update-Opp-12-01-2021.pdf

Your powerful East Portland Chamber of Commerce membership has a huge array of benefits to help you survive and thrive in these interesting times!  

Your EPCC membership allows you to participate in OAME - the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs.  This is a large and powerful group which attracts anyone from brand new one person businesses to the large construction groups like Hoffman and others, as well as the City of Portland, Multnomah County, PCC, multiple state agencies and many many more.

Get your name out there by getting on one of their many Zoom get togethers and introduce yourself during the 6 second intros then jump into private rooms for conversations with those you want to chat with.

I'm your OAME Liason and your EPCC Ambassador, feel free to contact me for more information on how to use EPCC and OAME to grow and succeed. Ron Schmidt 503-539-6817 Ron@ThePlanningGroup.ORG 

https://oame.org/wp-content/uploads/Monthly-Newsletter-August-2021-1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR11KmFYwIMzsaMQ5KEkcgLc_xX18RBiCP1Kv6tweOXw0WbQyH9UppUlzXs

You are not alone.  The CPA Advisor states that employee recruitment and retention is next to lack of capital as the largest challenge we face today. (1)

Whether you are hiring your first employee or have hundreds or thousands of employees you need to retain, we have resources that can help you do so at no cost to your company.

Let's chat.  15 minutes is all it takes and your employees will be delighted you did so. 

Ron Schmidt Ron@ThePlanningGroup.Org 503-539-6817

(1) https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/small-business/article/21224090/small-businesses-face-challenges-but-majority-expect-growth-in-2021

While Colonial Pipeline and JBS meat packing took the news for cyber crimes, small and medium businesses are attacked in far greater numbers:

• 58% of businesses incurred a data breach in the last twelve months - cost $200,000 on average, reveals insurance carrier Hiscox
• Forty-three percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves, according to Accenture.
• More than half of all small businesses suffered a breach within the last year.*
• Cybercrime is on the rise - Up 400% since March 2020 - Email attacks up 600%
• 76% of cyberattacks were affected upon companies with less than 100 people
• 88% of small business owners feel vulnerable to cyberattacks.
• 60% of SMB Fail within 6 months of a Cyber Attack.**

Cyberattacks can devastate your business’s reputation and put your customers and employees at risk. By scanning your networks, we discover and fix vulnerabilities while staying on top of new risks. And we’ll provide you with a specialist to help resolve the vulnerabilities remotely.

• Automated monthly scans and vulnerability reports
• Professional help resolving cyber risks including 24/7 access.
• Coverage for losses incurred as a result of a cyberattack to facilitate a quick recovery.

You can focus on your business with peace of mind.  Learn more or enroll at BizPowerX2.com/ids4biz 

*https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/13/cyberattacks-cost-small-companies-200k-putting-many-out-of-business.html

**https://www.inc.com/joe-galvin/60-percent-of-small-businesses-fold-within-6-months-of-a-cyber-attack-heres-how-to-protect-yourself.html

Looking To Get Into Great Shape? Try Muay Thai For Fitness!

With the current situation of 2020 many people are turning to the martial arts as a form of exercise. Consistent training in martial arts has a tremendous effect on both your physical and mental states, setting it apart from more traditional types of training. Perhaps the most dynamic form of martial arts training is Muay Thai. It is a fast-paced art that, with proper instruction, can be one of the most effective ways to lose weight, gain flexibility, increase energy and improve day to day performance.

 

Practiced for hundreds of years the art of Muay Thai is one of the most effective forms of empty hand combat. One of the main reasons why it has gained popularity among mixed martial arts fighters. It utilizes punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes, this varies the training making it an amazing full body work out. Gary Wickman from healthguidence.com describes Muay Thai as an exercise that “burns the fat quickly making a person lean and thin which is a great achievement in itself. It has been seen that those practicing Muay Thai have seen a better, glowing complexion as it releases all the toxins and waste from the body.” The high intensity and dynamic classes result in vastly improved fitness in relatively short periods of time.

 

 

A high level of fitness is a goal many people have, whether they hope to avoid complications as they age or just to look and feel better on a daily basis. Muay Thai is one of the most effective and fun ways to improve you fitness. Each class will feature new techniques, all of which work together to achieve a fantastic full body workout.

 

Portland Muay Thai for Fitness Technique: The Standard Four

 

The benefits of Muay Thai are not only limited to improved fitness, as Muay Thai will also strengthen your mind and help relieve stress. An older art that has been gaining popularity in recent years, Muay Thai is the way to get in great shape and have fun doing it.

Come In and Try out a FREE Private Lesson and Learn How this Practice can be a Fun Safe way to get in the Best Shape of Your Life.

https://nwfighting.com/