Serving Kirkland
Free advising for Kirkland’s women-owned businesses
More than half of Kirkland’s licensed businesses are run from home, alongside a waterfront downtown of shops and restaurants and big employers like EvergreenHealth and Google. As a women’s business center for Kirkland, WCWB helps women start and grow businesses with free one-on-one advising, practical classes and a community of women owners.
King County
98,860
Free, by phone or video
Lacey, Washington
Tech, health care and a waterfront downtown
Kirkland’s two largest employers, EvergreenHealth (5,200 employees in 2025) and Google (5,076, up from 1,020 in 2016), account for about 23% of jobs in the city. Next come the Lake Washington School District, the city government and Lake Washington Institute of Technology. The city also has a manufacturing and engineering base, with Kenworth Truck Co., Amazon’s satellite-manufacturing unit and Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems. Kirkland runs its own tourism program built on its Lake Washington waterfront, restaurants and arts, and it plans its growth around two regional growth centers, Totem Lake and Greater Downtown (which includes the NE 85th Street Station Area). Home-based firms are a majority of its businesses: in 2023, 3,842 of Kirkland’s 7,085 licensed businesses (54%) were home-based.
Health care
EvergreenHealth is Kirkland’s largest employer, with 5,200 employees in 2025 (11.8% of jobs in the city), up from 4,281 in 2016.
Technology and software
Google employed 5,076 people in Kirkland in 2025, about five times its 1,020 in 2016, and video game publisher Electronic Arts (404 employees) is also among the city’s ten largest employers.
Aerospace, space and vehicle manufacturing
Three of the city’s ten largest employers are manufacturers: Kenworth Truck Co. (586 employees), Amazon’s satellite-internet manufacturing unit (574), and Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (532).
Tourism, dining and the arts
Kirkland runs a tourism program that markets the city as a waterfront destination for the arts, international cuisine, shopping and recreation. The city’s plan counts visitor spending at local shops, restaurants, hotels and performing-arts events as an important way to diversify the economy.
Construction and contracting
Contracting was the largest source of Kirkland’s sales tax in 2025 ($8.76 million of $35.59 million), ahead of other retail ($7.05 million) and services ($6.12 million).
Your women’s business center for Kirkland
Whether you’re leaving a tech job to consult, selling at the Wednesday Market or opening a shop downtown, here’s where WCWB fits in.
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.
Go out on your own
Turning your expertise into a consulting or professional services firm? An advisor can help with pricing, contracts and finding your first clients.
Write your business plan
BEST is five self-paced online courses that take you from choosing a business structure to a finished business plan.
Meet other women owners
INSPIRE, our women’s business conference each May, brings owners from across the region together for keynotes, sessions and networking.
Where business happens
Business districts in Kirkland
- Downtown Kirkland and Park Lane. A walkable waterfront downtown near Marina Park and Lake Washington with boutiques, consignment shops, art galleries and restaurants, centered on Park Lane, a two-block, plaza-style ‘living street’ with an outdoor sculpture gallery.
- Totem Lake. A regional growth center since 2003 that includes The Village at Totem Lake (residential, retail and office space), the Totem Lake Transit Center, Evergreen Hospital and Totem Lake Park.
- NE 85th Street Station Area. More than 700 acres around the rebuilt I-405/NE 85th Street interchange and a Sound Transit Stride bus rapid transit station expected by 2027. The area has been rezoned for much more housing and commercial space, with a form-based code, a tax increment financing district and streamlined environmental review.
Good to know in Kirkland
- A Kirkland business license is issued through the state’s Business Licensing Service. For home businesses, the city’s Planning Department reviews zoning as part of the application.
- Kirkland has no general B&O tax, but businesses that charge admission, cover charges or season tickets in the city collect a city admissions tax.
- The city offers free one-on-one business advising through Startup425 at monthly coworking and advising days at Kirkland City Hall.
- Each year the city runs the Kirkland Workshop and Pitch Competition for aspiring, micro and small businesses, ending in a public pitch night.
Not sure what applies to you? An advisor can walk you through it.
More help in Kirkland
Alongside WCWB, these Kirkland organizations support local businesses. Each link opens their own website.
City of Kirkland Economic Development: Business Resources
The city’s economic development team is your business contact, with the Biz News newsletter, virtual Development Services appointments, a site-selection tool and the Shop Local Kirkland directory.
Startup425
A joint initiative of Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond and Renton offering coworking days, workshops, an accelerator and networking; Kirkland contracts with it for free one-on-one advising at City Hall each month.
Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce
More than 450 members, with networking events, educational programs and advocacy, plus access to Business Health Trust group employee benefits for firms with 2 to 199 employees.
Kirkland Downtown Association
Supports downtown merchants with a monthly Downtown Connection Series and merchant meetings. It also runs the Kirkland Wednesday Market at Marina Park (June to September), which hosts 40 to 60 small businesses each market day.
King County Library System: Business & Nonprofit resources
Free with a KCLS card (the Kirkland Library 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)
A free network run by King County’s designated Associate Development Organization that connects small businesses in all 39 King County jurisdictions with advisors, events and city contacts, including language help.
Questions from Kirkland business owners
I’m leaving a tech job to start my own business in Kirkland. Can WCWB help?
Yes. An advisor can help you test the idea, set your prices, choose a business structure and plan your cash flow while you make the move.
Can WCWB help me get ready for the Kirkland pitch competition?
Yes. An advisor can help you sharpen your plan and your numbers, and BEST’s self-paced courses walk you through writing a full business plan.
Does WCWB have an office in Kirkland?
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.
Kirkland women, let’s build something
Advising is free, by phone or video, with no up-front commitment.