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Don’t Go It Alone!
There is Plenty of Free or Nearly Free Support for Starting up a Business
by Ericka Chickowski

A good idea and a clever name may be all it takes to start a business, but it takes a lot more to run one successfully. Fortunately, several organizations in the Seattle area are dedicated to getting new business owners off to the right start with training, counseling and mentoring. They can also help existing owners meet the challenges of staying in business.

Small Business Administration (SBA)
This federal government entity exists to cultivate healthy small businesses in the United States. Best know for the loans the SBA offers through its lending partners, its local branches also offer support and advice to owners. The SBA’s Small Business Development Center offers various training opportunities for free (or nearly so). It also helps coordinate other public and private groups dedicated to helping business owners.
1200 Sixth Ave., Suite 1700, Seattle
www.sba.gov
206-553-7310

Washington Small Business Development Centers
Small Business Development Centers are another resource offered by the SBA. These training centers give business owners access to free training and counseling, with a particular focus on business plan development. The advice offered by SBDC employees not only helps entrepreneurs come up with the perfect plan to clinch a loan, but also the focus to maintain success far into the future. The Centers are a cooperative effort of Washington State University, Western Washington University, community colleges, economic development organizations, and the SBA. The Seattle center is Community Capital Development (see next listing for its contact information), with other local facilities at Bellevue Community College and Edmonds Community College. For more information, visit www.wsbdc.org.

Women’s Business Center
Based out of the Community Capital Development headquarters, Seattle’s Women’s Business Center offers support and practical advice to the region’s many female entrepreneurs. The organization offers training, counseling and mentoring to new and existing women business owners. Classes cover how to write business and marketing plans as well as understanding financial statements and cash flow charts. The QuickSource, which is located in the same building, also offers training in Quickbooks® , the popular software for managing small business finances. The center also can help new owners gain access to loans through various sources. Although its activities were suspended for several months last year due to funding cuts, the Business Center is up and running again.
1437 South Jackson, Suite 201, Seattle
www.seattleccd.com
206-325-9458

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
A venerable institution with a well-cultivated network of local affiliates, Service Corps of Retired Executives is a mentoring group that offers one-on-one advice from those who know business best. SCORE volunteers are not professors or professional trainers. Instead, they are former business leaders who have seen enough success and failure to know what works and what doesn’t.

In the Puget Sound, SCORE has three chapters (Seattle, Bellingham and Tacoma), with over 200 volunteers on its roster. SCORE also runs a business resource center with computers and a business library that can be used on a drop-in basis.
1200 6th Ave., Suite 1700, Seattle
www.seattlescore.org
206-553-7320

Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training
Administered by the SBA, the Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training provides affordable, local training options for both women and men. Its main goal is to link new business owners with mentors who can dispense real-world advice related to running a business. Monthly breakfast roundtable sessions are taught by former business owners and experts in specific fields. These training sessions are held throughout the Puget Sound region and are also designed to give participants the chance to network.
www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness/wnet.html
Call Carol Andersen at 206-553-7315

Washington Technology Center (WTC)
The Washington Technology Center’s mission is to help local businesses develop and sell new products and technologies. The group collaborates with a wide range of public and private institutions to provide a complete set of resources to the companies it advises.
WTC’s consulting services are not free, but they often help companies gain access to financing for R&D. In addition to working with the Washington State Investment Board regularly, the group operates the WTC Angel Network, which acts as a go-between between angel investors and worthy companies in need of funding.
www.watechcenter.org

Washington CASH
The Seattle-based nonprofit provides a business training course, micro-credit lending services from $500-$5,000, technical business assistance and peer support to enable low-income women (especially women currently dependent on public assistance), people with disabilities and new immigrants/refugees to start or expand self-employment ventures.
Since 1996, Washington CASH has provided training for self-employment to hundreds of clients in western Washington and made more than 200 loans to member businesses, including those involved in childcare, graphic design, jewelry making, photography, importing and cleaning. Through the training program, clients learn to set goals, determine if those goals are realistic and complete a business plan.
www.washingtoncash.org
206-352-1945

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