Bottom Line Blog Office of Economic Development

Bottom Line

News from Seattle's Office of Economic Development

Workshops For Businesses: Start, Grow, or Navigate Taxes

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Are you a small business owner? Are you thinking about starting your own business? Are you figuring out taxes? There are plenty of workshops and resources where you can get free helpful advice right here in Seattle.

Small business owners are part of a community- one that is very important to Seattle. The 532,162 small businesses in Washington are located in every community and neighborhood. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA,)  small businesses employ 54.7 percent of Washington’s non-farm private sector workers.

Advice is available through many channels for small business owners, and a number of workshops coming up can help you start your business or position your business for success.

The Northwest Washington Women’s Business Center is offering a number of workshops in the coming weeks:

On March 28 there will be a Small Business JumpStart Orientation session for  those who want to start a business. Topics that are covered include how to write a business plan, how to research your market and how to prepare financial statements that will help you get funded. After attending Orientation, you may make arrangements to meet with a NWWBC Business Assistance Officer for further guidance. Individual consultations are offered free of charge.

Also on March 28 there is a workshop for Alternative Financing in Starting a Business which will teach entrepreneurs how to creatively get started.

On April 2 the 8-week Launch and Grow Workshop series begins. Launch and Grow will run from April 2 to May 21, with weekly meetings on topics like putting together a business plan, marketing successfully, financing your business, and filing taxes for a small business. There is a fee for this 8-event workshop series.

The Small Business Administration’s Seattle Office is also providing a number of workshops at the SBA Education and Training Center,  located at the Fourth & Battery Building. Be sure to check their calendar for events, here are a couple of upcoming workshops:

There will be a March 28 Small Business State and Local Tax Workshop to learn more about how to fulfill your tax obligations as a small business. This is a recurring and free monthly event.

On April 2, the SBA will offer a Government Contracting Workshop with information on federal government certifications for your business, management and technical assistance resource to help you sell products to the government, and how to prepare your small firm for taking a government contract as well as other business opportunities. This is also a free monthly event which will run all year.

Make the most of these great resources available and take advantage of these free workshops to start or grow your business.

Continual tax and bookkeeping workshops for small business owners – July 14 and July 28

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Held at the Seattle Small Business Administration (SBA) Education and Training Center, these workshops focus on helping small business owners learn about important information regarding tax responsibilities, as well as finding out what taxes to pay and when they are due. 

Workshops run the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Please pre-register by calling 206-553-2664 or by email. SBA and Seattle SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Businesses, also offer a variety of other workshops for small business owners. Find out more here.

Seattle Small Business week – May 16 to 20 – training opportunities

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All great businesses were once small startups with little more in mind than a driving passion and a goal to accomplish something great. How did they do it? Undoubtedly, certain key elements and tactics can either lead a small business down a difficult road or guide the business toward a long and fruitful future.

On May 16, National Small Business Week kicks off in Seattle with an eye to helping local people to “jump start” their small businesses, while also recognizing the contributions small businesses have made to the economic well-being of America. While the majority of workshops are happening in Washington D.C., many will be available right here in Seattle, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and other local institutions.

SBA Workshops

Take advantage of the expertise shared by savvy business professionals and small business owners who will teach workshops on a variety of topics, like basic startup ideas, finance and loan needs, and website and social media uses. Learn to command these tools and necessary components of a small business to promote your own work. Space is limited to the first 40 attendees for each session.

All SBA workshops are free and will be held at:

SBA Education and Training Center
Fourth and Battery Building
2401 Fourth Avenue, Ste 450
Seattle, WA 98121

Click here to view the schedule of workshops, held from May 16 to May 20, and to register online.

Questions? E-mail workshops@sba.gov and put “Jump Start” in the subject line.

Free Construction Contractor Training Day @ Renton Technical College – May 20, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Choose from 25 different classes taught by various experts on everything from marketing and safety: saving money on Workers Compensation premiums, updating Accident Prevention plans, writing better contracts, and effective bidding and estimating guides.

Click here for more details and to register.

Online Marketing Secrets for your Small Business…Dominating your Competitors Online Webinar Series offered by the Northwest Washington Business Center – Starting May 20

A full day seminar will be broken down into six one-hour webinars, covering website traffic optimization, secrets on how to leverage blog leads, tips on identifying search prospects, and ways to leverage social media.

This six webinar series costs $50 for all six webinars or $10 for each session.
Click here for more details and to register.