When Darlene Crane, executive director of the Alliance for Community Development, co-founded Created in Oakland in 2008, she saw a void in resources for small business owners.

With more than 20 years of experience in consulting and project development, Crane decided to make her skills available to those who needed help, but at a fraction of the cost.

"I wanted to do something where I wasn't just making companies richer," she explains.

There were a number for programs to help entrepreneurs get started, but not much in place to help that sustain and expand.

"Oakland has thousands of small businesses but they are very tiny," Crane says. "The idea is to teach them strategies and give them the advising and tools to implement and launch a [growth] strategy."

On June 8, Created in Oakland, or CiO, will celebrate its third group of business owners who have dedicated time and energy to growing their enterprises.

Each business will present what they've developed during the last nine months of working with CiO, including growth strategies and new products. The program also featured a keynote address from Steve King of Emergent Research who will share the "Top 10 Small Business Trends."

"If you are thinking about starting a business or are a small business owner and want new ideas and to see how you can revitalize your business, you should come," says Crane.

Applications for the fourth cohort will be available at the event as well. CiO will recruit small businesses throughout the summer and start the new session in October. For now the program is only available for business in Oakland, which Crane chose as launching point because its culture of independence leads to unique business models. But Crane says she also hopes to expand it to other parts of the East Bay, which she calls "the heart of small business in the Bay Area."

If You Go

What: Created in Oakland 3 - CiO3
When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 8
Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth St., #290, Oakland
Details: Register Here