Leading professionals to conduct online sessions to spur new business starts and inspire entrepreneurship statewide OLYMPIA, WA — As Washington state turns the corner on the pandemic, record numbers of entrepreneurs are starting their own businesses. Compared to 2020, new business starts are up 19.8% statewide, increasing from 55,539 through October last year to 69,301 new businesses this year. (US Census Bureau Business Formations Dashboard). With that in mind, the…
Tag Archives: small business
OLYMPIA, WA — El Washington State Department of Commerce (Departamento de Comercio del Estado de Washington) anunció un nuevo programa de subvenciones que se pondrá en marcha el 4 de octubre para ayudar a determinadas pequeñas empresas perjudicadas por el cierre de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y Canadá. La frontera ha permanecido cerrada a la mayoría de los viajeros desde marzo de 2020 debido a la pandemia de COVID-19.…
Nearly $760 million in sales attributed to State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) since inception OLYMPIA, WA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded the Washington State Department of Commerce a tenth year of funding to help small businesses grow through exporting. The $2 million grant is part of the SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). Commerce will use the funds to continue a number of successful export assistance…
Program works with and through trusted local lending institutions to support historically underserved businesses OLYMPIA, WA — Small business owners and nonprofits across Washington can start applying today for low interest loans of up to $150,000 through the newly-launched Small Business Flex Fund. The Fund is a public-private partnership aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofits – particularly those in low-income communities – recover and grow as communities across the…
The SmartWA dashboard and decision tool is one of several Safe Start projects aimed at supporting small businesses through COVID-19 OLYMPIA, Wash. — As Washington state businesses prepare for full reopening on June 30, many are looking for ways to reassure customers and clients that health and safety remains a top priority. To help small business owners identify the safety protocols most likely to be important to customers, the Washington…
More than 350 growth-oriented small businesses helped during pandemic OLYMPIA, WA – “ScaleUp: The Rebuild Edition,” an education and training partnership between the Washington State Department of Commerce and Thurston Economic Development Council, has scheduled three new eight-week course tracks for small businesses interested in achieving exponential growth as the economy reopens. Each interactive course is two hours long and held once a week for eight weeks. The ideal participant…
As you are likely aware by now, the 2021-23 state biennial budget makes historic investments in Washington’s recovery and growth trajectory coming out of the pandemic. At Commerce, we are preparing for significant work ahead as we implement a $2.7 billion operating budget and $2.4 billion in capital funding. Our team is growing – we’re recruiting exceptional team members, so I invite you to check out and share positions currently…
Over 20% of the 11,697 grantees say they will use funds to reopen OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded an additional $234 million in Working Washington relief and recovery grants to 11,697 small businesses impacted by the pandemic. Of those receiving grants, over 20% indicated that they will use the money to assist them in reopening, while the remaining said they will cover operating expenses.…
ScaleUp: The Rebuild Edition adds three new session dates targeted to established small businesses looking to grow in wake of COVID OLYMPIA, WA – ScaleUp: The Rebuild Edition, a partnership between the Washington State Department of Commerce and Thurston Economic Development Council, has scheduled three new tracks for small businesses interested in achieving significant growth in the wake of COVID. The online courses are once a week for eight weeks.…
Partnership adds a dozen new organizations statewide providing outreach and technical assistance in nearly 40 languages to small business owners affected by COVID-19 OLYMPIA, Wash. – The needs of small business owners trying to recover from the pandemic are vast and varied. While many business owners have connections and resources that help them tap into government and philanthropic aid programs, significant barriers exist that prevent many others from accessing those…