ONABEN provides culturally-sensitive business education and
networking including the following services:

Indianpreneurship®

A Native American Journey Into Business - This intensive 12-week class guides students through a cultural experience providing the framework for successful business start-up and culminating in a written business plan. Indianpreneurship has been adopted by over 45 tribal organizations, including many tribal colleges. ONABEN is currently beta testing its newest text Growing a Buisness in Indian Country at the Confederated Tribes at Umatilla reservation.  This is a two year small business management program and will be available for purchase in January 2011.
Visit indianpreneurship.com to learn more

Trading at the River Conference

This three-day conference offers workshops and roundtables on substantial business issues and enables Native American entrepreneurs and tribal enterprises to form new business relationships/partnerships and meet others who have developed worthy business strategies.

Innovations in Indianpreneurship®

A Business Plan Competition for NW Indian Country - Applications will be available March 22, 2010!

Access to Markets and Information

ONABEN provides Native Americans access to markets through our Business Directory, our website, and through our tribal-sponsored Business Service Centers. We support business reference libraries, computer and internet access in locations throughout Oregon and the Northwest.

Policy Development

ONABEN staff and its network are available to provide comprehensive organizational development, program advisory, and train the trainer services to emerging tribal CDFI’s, tribal and non-profit community and economic development organizations and tribal enterprise organizations sponsoring micro-enterprise and small business development, asset-building, and business lending activities.

We can help customize the development of a technical assistance service workplan that supports the development of locally controlled capital that accelerates entrepreneurship and business development in Indian Country.

Why Does It Work?

The program is simple: bring people together, nourish them (with information, food, encouragement) and coach them from that point onward. The ONABEN service delivery package is effective because we are meeting people's needs in a manner that honors their background, their dreams, and their skills. Our curriculum meets our clients where they are and helps them move to the place they decide they want to be. We simply provide them the information about the world in which they must compete and give them tools to enter and succeed in that world.