Beyond Passion: Building Viable Businesses in Portland 2025
Date & Time: November 3, 2025, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Language: English
Event Provider: Oregon Pride in Business (ORPIB)
Location: In-Person
Address: NedSpace - 621 SW Morrison Street, #800PortlandOR97205,US
Cost:, $20 for non-members, Free for ORPIB Members
REGISTRATION: Click here to register for this class.
ABOUT THE EVENT: Are you an entrepreneur or micro-or small business owner in Portland ready to move beyond "good enough" and build something truly impactful and profitable? In today's unpredictable market, passion and skill alone are no longer sufficient for sustainable success. This workshop is designed to equip you with the essential problem-solving strategies to help guide your business to something people genuinely need, want, and are willing to pay for – right here, right now, in Portland 2025.
Many practical training sessions are geared toward high-growth and tech startups. This edition is tailored to small businesses in our community, including service providers, solopreneurs, food & beverage, packaged goods, consulting and more.
This is a safe and welcoming space to try out ideas, work through thorny business challenges together, and to build evidence-based business plans that can flex and change with the times.
This workshop is based on ProductTheory.io’s celebrated Product-Market Fit Canvas: a framework for ensuring smart, data-driven product development and market strategy. What’s different is its accessibility for both early-stage founders and those working with pivots, new products and services, or any upcoming business decisions.
Who is this workshop for?
Entrepreneurs looking to validate new business ideas.
Micro-business owners seeking to innovate and expand.
Small business owners aiming to strengthen their market position and profitability.
They’ll dive deep into the critical aspects of business viability, exploring how to:
Identify pressing market needs: Discover what your target audience in Portland truly lacks and desires, including a session on developing buyer personas to understand your ideal customers.
Validate your solutions: Learn practical methods to test your ideas and ensure they resonate with potential customers.
Develop compelling value propositions: Craft offers that clearly communicate the unique benefits of your product or service.
Strategize for profitability: Understand how to price your offerings and manage your resources for long-term financial health.
Adapt to local market nuances: Explore the specific challenges and opportunities within Portland's economic landscape.
Why This Matters: Dr. Ali Maaxa brings two decades of hands-on experience, from leading innovation teams in Big Tech to launching products from the ground up. She understands what drives success and what leads to wasted effort. This isn't just theory; it's a workshop built on proven frameworks that have powered successful launches for companies like AWS and Recreation.gov, and dozens of startups.
Crucially, these strategies are adapted specifically for the unique goals, styles, and resources of underserved owners and entrepreneurs in our community.
Join them to transform your passion into a thriving, viable business that makes a real difference in the community. Open to both ORPIB members and the broader entrepreneurial community.Registered participants are invited to stay on at NedSpace for the rest of the day.
Sponsored by NedSpace: A Co-working Space in Downtown Portland and the ORPIB Foundation.
Additional Sponsors are sought to help cover lunch costs for participants. Registered sponsors will have the opportunity to speak briefly during the workshop, and share materials with participants. You can register here as a Sponsor, or send an inquiry to membership@orpib.com.