Serving Burien
Business help for women in Burien
Burien’s small businesses bring together diverse restaurants, wellness practices, Latino-owned shops and a growing arts scene. As a women’s business center for Burien, WCWB helps women start and grow them with free one-on-one advising, practical classes and a community of women business owners.
King County
53,470
Free, by phone or video
Lacey, Washington
Your women’s business center for Burien
Burien’s own action plan focuses on small business resilience. Here’s how WCWB can help you build yours.
1
Launch a food business
An advisor can help you price your menu, budget for a commissary kitchen like The Crate and plan your path from farmers market to storefront.
2
Grow a wellness practice
Advisors can help clinics and wellness specialists with pricing, marketing, referrals and the business side of a practice.
3
Learn the fundamentals
Intro to Business is a free self-paced online course on business planning, legal requirements and funding.
Local economy
Health care, food and the arts
Burien sits on Puget Sound just west of Sea-Tac Airport, and its economy runs on health care, neighborhood retail and services, and a growing restaurant and arts scene. The city calls health care its largest employment sector, anchored by St. Anne Hospital, while retail and services are the largest industries for employment and, with construction, the largest sources of sales tax. A 153-acre industrial area next to the airport became home in 2017 to the largest cold storage facility in the state. The city’s 2024 Economic Development Action Plan focuses on small business resilience and on strengthening commercial corridors beyond downtown.
What drives business here
- Health care and wellness. Health care is Burien’s largest employment sector, anchored by full-service St. Anne Hospital plus neighborhood clinics, private practices, natural medicine and other wellness specialists; the city convenes a Wellness Cluster to build referral networks among them.
- Retail, restaurants and services. Retail and services remain Burien’s largest industries for employment and, with construction, its largest sources of sales tax; the city’s plan highlights a strong base of culturally diverse restaurants.
- Industrial, cold storage and logistics near the airport. The North East Redevelopment Area, 153 acres next to Sea-Tac Airport, is planned for industrial/flex space; in 2017 it became home to the largest cold storage facility in the state, and adjacent parcels hold 480,000 square feet of industrial space.
- Arts and creative economy. Downtown Burien’s state-certified Creative District, the Highline Heritage Museum and the 2020 Urban Center Plan have made downtown a growing arts and culture destination, which the city plans to build on in its marketing.
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 Burien
- Downtown Burien and Town Square. Town Square brought together the library, city hall, new retail space and more than 500 homes, hosts year-round events including a weekly farmers market, and its foot traffic supports small downtown businesses.
- Ambaum Boulevard and Boulevard Park. Commercial corridors with high concentrations of Latino businesses, where the city plans collaborative marketing, corridor branding and more events such as street fairs and markets.
- First Avenue South. Commercial corridor where the city’s major employers include Burien Toyota and PCC Community Markets.
Good to know in Burien
- Burien’s business license is a city endorsement you can apply for together with your state license. Home-based businesses pay a lower fee.
- Burien charges a B&O tax only on businesses with annual gross receipts over $200,000, but businesses below that still file a return. Returns can be filed online.
- Discover Burien rents The Crate, a commissary kitchen in downtown Burien, by the hour, day or week to caterers, food trucks, farmers market vendors and pop-ups.
- Burien sets its own minimum wage, with different rates by employer size.
Not sure what applies to you? An advisor can walk you through it.
More help in Burien
Alongside WCWB, these Burien organizations support local businesses. Each link opens their own website.
City of Burien Economic Development: Business Assistance
City staff help with site selection, permits and regulations, offer a walk-up counter program at City Hall, and arrange free graffiti removal and police safety consultations for businesses.
Discover Burien
Nonprofit business organization founded by local owners in 2002, with 150+ members and 40+ events a year; it runs the year-round Burien Farmers Market and The Crate commissary kitchen.
Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce
Nonprofit chamber serving Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and Tukwila with networking, advocacy and events.
Highline College Small Business Development Center and StartZone
Free, confidential one-on-one advising and workshops for South King County businesses; StartZone focuses on low-income, BIPOC, women, immigrant, refugee and disabled entrepreneurs.
King County Library System: Business & Nonprofit resources
Free with a KCLS card (the Burien Library at Town Square is a KCLS branch): research tools such as Gale Business: Entrepreneurship, the Business Plans Handbook and Data Axle Reference Solutions.
Community Business Connector (Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce)
Run by King County’s designated Associate Development Organization, a free platform that connects small businesses in all 39 King County jurisdictions with advisors, events and city contacts, including language help.
Questions from Burien business owners
Can WCWB help Latino business owners in Burien?
Yes. Our services are open to everyone. An advisor can help you plan, price, market and grow, and point you to local partners like the Highline College SBDC’s StartZone program.
Where can I meet other business owners in Burien?
Discover Burien, a business group founded by local owners, hosts dozens of events a year, and WCWB’s INSPIRE conference brings women owners together each May.
Does WCWB have an office in Burien?
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.
Also serving nearby: SeaTac · Des Moines · Tukwila
Help your Burien business thrive
Free advising by phone or video, with no up-front commitment.