If you’re a founder, you know. For all of the veneer and hype, it’s incredibly draining to be the founder of a startup — or any company for that matter. It’s lonely. It’s grueling. It’s emotionally and mentally challenging. And it’s nearly impossible to manage everything you have to do.
Read MoreTag: ciara pressler
Community kudos: Ciara Pressler, PREGAME
Being part of PREGAME has given me the clarity and accountability I need to stay on track to hit my goals. I appreciate that she’s able to see my company vision when I’m lost in the weeds, suggests strategies and tactics to keep me moving towards goals, and is always willing to break into karaoke tunes!
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It’s not the idea; it’s how you do it: What Sara Batterby taught me about entrepreneurship
[Editor: This week, we are mourning the loss of Sara Batterby, who — in a relatively short time — had an outsized impact on our community, becoming a source of empowerment and energy for both the Portland startup community and the cannabis community. Sara’s presence and guidance touched many of us. Ciara Pressler shares some of her learnings from Sara in this guest post.]
Read MoreMiss the “Do” conversation about the diversity, equity, and inclusion in Portland?
If you missed the opportunity to participate in the conversation about the “Do. Do more. Do better.” movement yesterday — which expanded into a broader conversation on the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Portland — the session was recorded especially for you.
Read MoreREMINDER: Need something more to “Do”?
A few weeks ago, Stephen Green launched a new grassroots movement designed to leverage the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement and empower individuals to help change the trajectory of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Portland business community, startups among them. It called upon folks to “Do. Do more. Do better.” And it’s grown to several hundred folks in Portland who are committed to doing the work.
Read MoreWorking to make your startup or small business more resilient? OEN and Pregame are partnering to help
This situation has tested even the most resilient companies. And given what folks are saying, this won’t be the last time. There will no doubt be future challenges like this. Economic downturns are as cyclical as upticks. Which has any number of founders asking “How I can build and grow a resilient business from the start?” Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and Pregame have partnered to deliver the answers as part of a new program offering.
Read MoreBreaking down bias: Pregame’s Ciara Pressler helps Systemically Over-Privileged folks recognize the signs
When it comes to doing the work around diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Portland startup community has a lot of work to do. A lot. Even so, there are any number of folks in the community stepping up and committing to do that work. But no matter the intent, it’s highly likely that we will all come face-to-face with a number of challenges — some conscious, some unconscious — in doing the work. Primarily in the form of biases.
Hello, Portland startup community! I’m Ciara Pressler

Portland Editorial and Commercial Photography Michael Anthony