Starting a Business
Healthy communities have a healthy base of entrepreneurs. Small and new businesses play a major role in Oregon and Forest Grove. In fact, most new job growth has come from small businesses under five years old. Whether you are looking to become the next Google or Microsoft and target global markets or to create an ongoing family enterprise serving a local neighborhood, your business is important to us. Forest Grove, with our business resource partners, is working to create a supportive environment for new startups.
New Business Guides & Local Business Vendors
Includes step-by-step guides that will walk you through all the steps you will need to take to build your business, along with resource lists that will connect you with useful information and local service providers for your new enterprise.
Documents
Starting a Business in Forest Grove
English
- Guide to Starting a Business in Forest Grove (PDF)
- Starting and Operating a Business in Forest Grove Brochure (PDF)
Spanish
- Guía para iniciar un negocio en Forest Grove (PDF)
- Inicio y Operacion de Negocios en Forest Grove (PDF)
Oregon Business Guide
Business Resources at the Library
New Business Information
Information on applying for your City business license and registering your business name, as well as specific information for home-based businesses.
For more information, you can download the following documents:
Business Incentive Program
View details the City's Business Incentive Program, which assists businesses by lowering fees and providing payment options for certain system development charges.
Below are a range of training programs for small business.
- CLIMB - Continuous Learning for Individual, Management, and Business (CLIMB) is about more than just gaining skills for a new career or providing training for employees. The CLIMB Center for Advancement delivers the training and development products you need, backed by the experience and size of Portland Community College. With access to the resources of PPC, CLIMB is a hub of expertise, talent, and training opportunities.
- Forest Grove / Cornelius Chamber of Commerce - Chamber members contribute their business skills and expertise to a variety of committees that are charged by the Board of Directors to take action on behalf of chamber members. The chamber represents business concerns to local, regional, state, and federal entities and promotes the interests of our business community.
- Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Website (OEN) - OEN helps entrepreneurs start up and scale up by connecting them to peers and mentors, startup funding opportunities, and hands-on training. A nonprofit, membership-driven organization with a 28-year track record, OEN is Oregon’s only organization that supports scalable startups from every industry across the state.
- SCORE - SCORE is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to the formation, growth, and success of small businesses. SCORE is run by over 90 volunteers who have in-depth, practical experience running and managing businesses. SCORE offers free personal counseling, ongoing mentoring, and high-quality modestly priced workshops.
The City offers a limited number of scholarships to reduce program costs.