8A | SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS
IDEAS from page 1A
As an entrepreneur her-
self, she has applied many
of the same lessons she now
teaches through RAIN. She
explained the four things
RAIN works towards: pro-
grams, people, capital and
physical assets. The pro-
grams include workshops,
classes and a startup pre-ac-
celerator in the fall.
“We connect you with
people,” Ruben said. “That
could be mentors — people
who have gone there, done
that before to help guide you
— and potentially cofound-
ers. One of the great ways to
find a partner in business is
to come to something like
this.”
People often meet others
who may have similar ideas
or different skillsets, both
of which are good when
putting together a team to
launch a new business.
“It’s a match made in the
makerspace,” Ruben said.
In terms of capital, RAIN
can point the way toward
government funding, local
grants, venture funding and
partners.
“Once a company has
stretched its legs a little
bit, gone through some it-
erations and feels like it is
ready, which can sometimes
take years, we will help you
find those pathways to mon-
ey,” Ruben said. “It sort of all
depends on your business
model.”
RAIN is oriented toward
high-growth, scalable busi-
nesses, but also offers con-
nections for other business-
es and nonprofits. These
include Lane Community
College and the Small Busi-
ness Development Center,
both of which have branches
in Florence.
“If you’re not quite the fit
for what we have to offer,
we funnel you there,” Ruben
said. “Again, we’re a business
&
shoppe play
buy stay
connector.”
In terms of physical as-
sets, she said that RAIN and
other economic develop-
ment groups can connect
people to workspace, shared
offices and even certified
kitchens for those who want
to create the next big thing
in food and drink.
“We’ll find you a place to
make your product,” Ruben
said.
Enter area graphic artist
Patrick Looney and the new
Florence Maker Space.
A makerspace, defined
as a coworking space or a
“hackerspace,” is a commu-
nity-operated
workspace
with resources, materials
and tools for a nominal
fee or membership. It also
serves as a place to meet up
with other makers in the
community.
“Makerspaces are kind of
a new thing from the last
couple years,” Looney said.
“They are essentially com-
munity workshops and cre-
ative spaces where people
can come together and col-
laborate on projects, share
tools and that kind of stuff.
If you ever started a project
and didn’t have the tools to
finish it or didn’t have the
extra time or space, this is
what this is for.”
The Florence Maker
Space, 1230 17th Place off
Kingwood Street, will be a
membership space where
people will be able to pay
to use resources. There will
also be public classes for 3D
printing, laser cutting, shop
safety and more.
“It’s just now getting start-
ed, and we’re hoping to open
sometime in July,” Looney
said. “People will be able to
come in and learn about the
tools and take courses.”
During the RAIN meet-
ing, he placed on each table
some of the projects he has
been working on, including
a laser-cut wood dodecahe-
dron and puzzle game and a
3D-printed T-rex skull and
Eiffel Tower.
Ruben said, “This is like
a behind-the-scenes maker-
space moment.”
“It’s fun taking those proj-
ects on,” Looney said.
Next, Ruben talked about
her return to Oregon 18
months ago after working
in the fast-paced entrepre-
neurial world of California.
Right now, she is juggling
four business-focused jobs,
all of which tie into Oregon’s
startup ventures. These in-
clude RAIN, her own busi-
ness ariel.ink, her family’s
business and a new venture.
Hummingbird
Whole-
sale, her family’s company,
distributes organic food
from its operations in Eu-
gene. It has two incubator
kitchens, which helps other
food startups have access to
a certified kitchen and ac-
cess to a distribution chan-
nel.
Hazel People is a new ven-
ture that Ruben works with
as it brands, markets, creates
and launches a product. The
company has been in sev-
eral pitch competitions and
recently got approved for
venture funding.
“Hazelnuts are huge right
now. Oregon is planting
acres and acres of them, and
we found this awesome op-
portunity,” she said. “You’ve
probably had almond milk
or something like that. Well,
this is ‘hazel nutmilk.’”
As for how she got to
RAIN, Ruben said it was
the same way she got into
startups in the first place:
networking.
“I met Caroline Cum-
mings, the executive direc-
tor of RAIN, through the
grapevine. She was like, ‘I’d
like to recruit you to the
coast to do this awesome
role’ — so here I am. And
I’m loving it. Two days a
week I’m out here, two days
Keep it local.
By Supporting
ART ALLIANCE
AUTOMOTIVE
EVENT CENTER
Florence Events Center
715 Quince Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-1994
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Hoberg’s Complete Auto Repair
345 Hwy. 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-2413
Edward Jones-Andy Baber, AAMS
Financial Advisor
1010 Highway 101
541-997-8755
Petersen Auto Detailing
Florence, Oregon, 97439
541-999-6078
Oregon Pacific Bank
1355 Highway 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-7121
www.opbc.com
CHAMBER
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce
290 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3128
www.florencechamber.com
CHARITABLE GIVING
Salvation Army - Western Lane County
PO Box 1041
Florence Or 97439
1-800-481-3280
CHURCH
Cross Road Assembly of God
1380 10th St
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3533
Florence Church of Christ
1833 Tamarack St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3133
DENTURIST
DentureMasters & Implant Center
Dr. James Ridley,DDS
206 Nopal Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-6226
Denture Services
524 Laurel Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-6054
ESTATE SALES
Cindy Wobbe Estate Sales
498 Hwy. 101
Florence OR 97439
541-999-0126
www.CindyWobbeEstates.com
el Canvas, which can be
accessed from www.strat-
egyzer.com/canvas. It is
an industry-standard tool
to help people plug their
ideas into an actual business
model. The worksheet starts
with value propositions;
evaluates what is key in ac-
tivities, resources and part-
ners; identifies customer
segments and relationships;
and determines cost, mar-
keting and revenue streams.
The attendees worked
through some of their ideas
and shared them in small
groups. Some of the ideas
are ready to launch now
while others will take time.
“I’m here to be the net-
work and resource for you,”
Ruben said. “If I’m not the
resource for you, I probably
know someone who is and I
can connect you.”
People stuck around af-
ter the session to hear more
about the opportunities at
the makerspace, talk to Ru-
ben and connect with other
residents.
The next RAIN work-
shop, How to Utilize Public
Funds, will be on Wednes-
day, July 24, at 5:30 p.m. at
Lane Community College
Florence Center. People can
sign up for more informa-
tion at meetup.com/Start-
up-Florence-Oregon-Coast
or oregonrain.org. In ad-
dition, Ruben is available
to meet with Florence res-
idents on Wednesdays and
Lincoln County residents on
Thursdays.
“This is probably my fa-
vorite job yet,” she said.
“It’s so fun because I get to
hang out with all of you and
hear your incredible ideas
and watch your businesses
start, launch, brainstorm
and problem solve. The cool
thing is that I don’t have to
have all the answers — but
I’m your networking middle
person to help you get to the
places you need to be.”
Your Community
Support
Florence Regional Arts Alliance
120 Maple Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-999-0859
changed. By the end
of the process, it
might be something
completely differ-
ent.”
She said an of-
ten-used entrepre-
neur method is the
Lean Startup Model.
“Essentially, you
have an idea. The
best thing to do is
to right away start to
build. Create, build,
code. … Then, get
it out to the market-
place,” Ruben said.
“The most import-
ant thing is to see if
VICTORIA SANCHEZ/SIUSLAW NEWS
The Florence Maker Space has there is even a mar-
equipment for 3D Printing, as ketplace. It’s easy to
well as more common shop tools. put something out
in the world that no
I’m with my folks, another one wants. The bad thing
day I’m at the startup and on is that a lot of people get to
the weekends I do my own that point when they’re very
stuff,” she said.
far along, they’ve put a lot
The Bring Your Idea of money into it and no one
Workshop walked people wants it.”
through the process of tak-
She said people starting
ing ideas and applying them new projects should not fear
to an actual business model. failure, but work through it
“The thing about ideas is and revise.
that everyone has them,” Ru-
“With
what
you’ve
ben said. “There are prob- learned, you’ll have more
ably infinite ideas. If you ideas,” she said, adding that
think of ideas that make it the process is to build, re-
to actual fruition, it’s proba- lease to the marketplace,
bly like .0000000001 percent make changes and build
that actually make it. Just again. “Even Google is not
think about how many ideas finished. It’s always doing
you have in a given day, and this.”
how many everyone has.
She talked about Hazel
Ideas are cheap. It’s the work People and its first failure
that’s really the hard part.”
in trying to create a sports
The attendees were en- drink. The founders even-
couraged to write down tually had to pivot in a dif-
ideas for a possible business ferent direction, which ul-
without fear of it being a timately led to discovering
“good” or “bad” idea.
the market for hazelnuts.
Ruben also said people
“It’s actually great to fail,”
shouldn’t be concerned Ruben said. “It’s even better
about other people stealing to fail early, when you don’t
their idea.
have as much skin in the
“The biggest reason why game. If you throw a ton of
startups — and ideas — fail money at it, and then you
is you never talk about it,” fail, it’s going to hurt a lot
she said. “Part of moving worse.”
an idea forward is getting it
She then walked people
crunched and mashed and through the Business Mod-
FUNERAL CHAPEL
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
2765 Kingwood St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3416
Dunes Memorial Chapel
2300 Frontage Road
Reedsport, Oregon 97467
541-271-2822
GARBAGE & RECYCLING
County Transfer & Recycling
85040 Hwy. 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8233
HAIR SALON
U R Worth It
1247 Bay St
Florence Or 97439
541-997-7377
HEATING/SHEET METAL
Florence Heating & Sheet Metal
1645 Kingwood St
541-997-2422
HUMANE SOCIETY
Oregon Coast Humane Society
541-997-4277
Shelter
2840 Rhododendron Dr.
Thrift Store
1193 Bay St.
Local
Businesses
INSURANCE
Abel Insurance Agency
875 Hwy 101
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-3466
www.abelinsuranceagency.com
NEWSPAPERS
Siuslaw News
148 Maple Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-3441
www.thesiuslawnews.com
PEST CONTROL
Swanson’s Pest Management
1550 15th St #14
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-4027
PET GROOMING/BOARDING
Aloha Pet Grooming
1751 12th Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-2726
REAL ESTATE
Coldwell Banker Coast Real Estate
Lynnette Wikstrom, Broker
100 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-999-0786
West Coast Real Estate Services, Inc.
1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-SOLD (7653)
REC. VEHICLES SERV. & REPAIR
Florence RV & Automotive Specialists
4390 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8287
www.FlorenceRV.com
www.shoppelocal.biz
RESTAURANT
1285 Restobar
1285 Bay St, Florence, Oregon 97439
(541) 902-8338
Bay View Bistro
at Best Western
85625 Hwy 101
Florence Or 97439
541-997-7191
Bridgewater Ocean Fresh Fish House &
Zebra Bar
1297 Bay Street
Florence, OR 97439
(541) 997-1133
RETIREMENT LIVING
The Shorewood
1451 Spruce St.
Florence, Oregon 97439
(541) 997-8202
shorewoodsl.com
SEAFOOD
Krab Kettle
270 Hwy 101
Florence, Oregon 97439
541-997-8996
SEPTIC SERVICE
Wally’s Septic Tank Pumping Inc.
541-997-8885
TIRES
Les Schwab Tire Center
4325 Highway 101
Florence, Oregon, 97439
(541) 997-7178