Serving Bellevue
Build a business that grows with Bellevue
Bellevue is the Eastside’s business hub, home to global tech companies, a high-end shopping district and thousands of small firms: 97% of its business establishments have fewer than 100 employees. As a women’s business center for Bellevue, WCWB helps women start and grow businesses with free one-on-one advising, practical classes and a community of women owners.
King County
158,300
Free, by phone or video
Lacey, Washington
Your women’s business center for Bellevue
Whether you’re launching a startup, consulting for the tech sector or opening a restaurant in Crossroads, here’s where WCWB fits in.
1
Free one-on-one advising
Shape your plan, check your numbers or prepare for a loan with an advisor, by phone or video, at no cost.
2
Plan for Bellevue’s costs
Space is expensive here. An advisor can help you build a budget, compare a lease with working from home and plan your cash flow before you commit.
3
Write your business plan
BEST is five self-paced online courses that take you from choosing a business structure to a finished business plan.
Local economy
The Eastside’s business hub
Bellevue is the economic hub of the Eastside. It had 163,784 jobs in 2022, and the city calls itself the second-largest employment hub in Washington. Technology drives most of the growth: Amazon (14,300 local employees in 2024), T-Mobile (7,800) and Meta (5,400) are the largest employers, and PACCAR, Puget Sound Energy, Bungie and Valve all have headquarters here. Bellevue is also the region’s high-end shopping and visitor destination, with the highest taxable retail sales per capita of any major King County city and 2.2 million overnight visitors in 2024. Most businesses are small (97% of establishments have fewer than 100 employees), and the city’s 2026 economic development plan targets the problems they report: affordable space, permitting and hiring.
What drives business here
- Information technology and software. Bellevue’s largest industry cluster, with 30,511 workers in the city in 2020, up about 76% from 17,193 in 2012. It also had the most new business openings of any sector over the last three decades.
- Large tech, telecom and health care employers. Bellevue’s 2024 top employers were Amazon (14,300), T-Mobile USA (7,800), Meta (5,400), Overlake Hospital Medical Center (3,800) and the Bellevue School District (2,900), followed by the City of Bellevue, TikTok, Salesforce, Bellevue College and Pokémon. Microsoft, the top employer in 2019, is not on the 2024 list.
- Business services and corporate headquarters. Finance is the largest business services sub-cluster, followed by management services (including corporate headquarters) and architecture and engineering. PACCAR, Bungie, Valve, T-Mobile US and Puget Sound Energy all have headquarters in Bellevue.
- High-end retail. A premier high-end retail destination that draws much of its spending from outside the city. In 2022 its taxable retail sales per capita were the highest of any major King County city and nearly twice Seattle’s.
- Creative economy, video games and tourism. The city estimates the creative sector, driven mostly by technology firms such as video game developers, produces about 37% of gross regional product. BelRed is the heart of the city’s arts community, and Bellevue drew 2.2 million overnight visitors in 2024.
Our impact since 2014
Thousands of women have started and grown with WCWB
8,480+
business advising sessions
360+
business training events
4,030+
training participants
300+
new businesses started
400+
new jobs created
50+
businesses accessing capital
$3.2 million+
reported increase in business profits
Where business happens
Business districts in Bellevue
- Downtown Bellevue. The Eastside’s main urban center, with more than 60,000 workers and 16,000 residents: office towers, shopping, dining and hotels next to light rail and the Grand Connection pedestrian corridor.
- BelRed and the Spring District. The city’s innovation and arts district, a former warehouse area anchored by the Global Innovation Exchange, a Meta (Facebook) campus and the Spring District transit-oriented development, with more than 100 creative businesses and nonprofits.
- Crossroads. A dense, diverse part of east Bellevue that the city calls the focal point for entertainment, cultural exchange, shopping and community services, with many restaurants and shops among large apartment complexes.
- Wilburton. Bellevue’s historic ‘auto row’, now being planned as a live-work district that could eventually hold up to 8 million sq ft of residential and 6 million sq ft of office and medical space, plus retail and hotels.
Good to know in Bellevue
- Bellevue issues its own business license through FileLocal after you register with the state. It’s a one-time registration with no annual renewal.
- Bellevue has its own B&O tax. Businesses below the city’s annual threshold owe no gross receipts tax but still file, usually once a year.
- Home businesses with client visits, nonresident employees or business deliveries need a city Home Occupation Permit.
- Start Smart in Bellevue offers a free small business consultant who guides independent businesses through permitting, from before you sign a lease to opening day.
Not sure what applies to you? An advisor can walk you through it.
More help in Bellevue
Alongside WCWB, these Bellevue organizations support local businesses. Each link opens their own website.
City of Bellevue Cultural and Economic Development: Business Assistance
Free one-on-one help with site selection, permitting questions and business connections ([email protected], 425-452-6808).
Bellevue Chamber
Membership (including a small-business tier), networking, policy advocacy and a regular small business workshop series.
Bellevue Downtown Association
The downtown business organization since 1974: advocacy, a member directory and foot-traffic events such as the Bellevue Arts Fair Weekend, Live at Lunch concerts and the Downtown Ice Rink.
Startup425
Eastside entrepreneur hub run by Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond and Renton (with Bothell as a partner) and based at Bellevue City Hall, offering free coworking days, workshops, an accelerator and a business guide.
Washington Small Business Development Center (Bellevue adviser)
Free, confidential one-on-one advising on business planning, market research, financial analysis and funding readiness from a dedicated Bellevue adviser, a role the City of Bellevue expanded in 2025.
King County Library System: Business & Nonprofit resources (Bellevue Library)
Free with a KCLS card at the downtown Bellevue Library (1111 110th Ave NE): research tools such as Gale Business: Entrepreneurship, the Business Plans Handbook and Data Axle Reference Solutions.
Questions from Bellevue business owners
I want to open a shop or restaurant in Bellevue. Can WCWB help before I sign a lease?
Yes. An advisor can help you check your startup costs, sales forecast and lease budget before you commit, and the city’s free Start Smart consultant can walk you through permits.
Can WCWB help me get ready to apply for a loan or investment?
Yes. Advisors can help you prepare a business plan and financial projections, understand your funding options and get ready to talk with lenders or investors.
Does WCWB have an office in Bellevue?
No. We meet by phone and video, so we can work with you anywhere in Washington State. Our office is at 4220 6th Ave SE in Lacey.
Who can work with WCWB?
Anyone who is starting a business or growing a small to medium-sized one. We focus on women-identified business owners in Washington State, and our services are open to everyone.
Start your Bellevue business with support
Free advising by phone or video, practical classes and a community of women owners across Washington.