Serving Seattle
Free business advising for women in Seattle
Seattle’s small businesses fill dozens of neighborhood districts, from Pike Place Market and the Chinatown-International District to Columbia City and Ballard. As a women’s business center for Seattle and the rest of Washington, WCWB works with women business owners through free one-on-one advising by phone or video, practical classes and a statewide community.
CountyKing County
Population823,400
WCWB advisingFree, by phone or video
Our officeLacey, Washington
Where business happens
Business districts in Seattle
- Pike Place Market (Downtown). Public market drawing over 15 million visitors a year, where 180+ local craftspeople sell their own handmade work at day-rented Daystall tables in what the Market calls the country’s largest showcase of handmade goods.
- Chinatown-International District. Historic district of teashops and restaurants for every taste and budget; its business improvement area, founded in 1994 by local businesses and property owners, handles sanitation, public safety, marketing and events.
- Columbia City (Rainier Valley). Historic business district that its ratepayer-funded business improvement area calls ‘the vibrant heart of South Seattle,’ with sidewalk cleaning, graffiti removal and winter lighting paid for by local businesses.
- Ballard. An ‘eclectic and independent urban village’ whose Ballard Alliance offers a Small Business Resource Hub, guidance on opening a business in Ballard, and a merchants and restaurant group.
Good to know in Seattle
- Anyone doing business in Seattle, including home-based businesses, needs a Seattle business license tax certificate through FileLocal, renewed each year.
- The Office of Economic Development’s Capital Access Program works with community lenders on 4% small business loans for established, independently owned Seattle businesses.
- Pike Place Market’s craft program lets local makers sell their own handmade work at day-rented tables; it keeps a waitlist.
- Seattle’s minimum wage applies to every employer, whatever its size.
Not sure what applies to you? An advisor can walk you through it.
Beyond tech: Seattle’s neighborhood economy
Seattle is the region’s economic center, and beyond its well-known tech sector it runs on trade, health care and neighborhood commerce. The city’s Office of Economic Development counts $33.6 billion in annual revenue and 116,200 jobs in maritime, manufacturing and logistics, and Seattle is also a national center for health services and life sciences, the 11th-largest construction market in the U.S., and a hub for film, music and nightlife. For small businesses, the city is a patchwork of neighborhood business districts: 11 business improvement areas plus dozens of neighborhood business associations and chambers, from Ballard to Rainier Valley.
Maritime, manufacturing and logistics
The Port of Seattle’s cranes and marine terminals, warehouses and factories on the city’s industrial lands, and the fishing fleet underpin the economy, and the Seattle area is second only to Los Angeles/Long Beach in total West Coast exports.
Health services and life sciences
Home to UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, the health services industry accounts for more than 90,000 jobs across the metro area.
Creative industries: film, music and nightlife
Seattle is a major hub for commercial film production, a nightlife and music city, and an emerging center for the video game industry; the city’s economic development work focuses on attracting productions and improving the nighttime business ecosystem.
Construction
Seattle is the 11th-largest construction market in the U.S., with construction job postings (about 1,220 a month) above the national average for an area its size.
Technology
Software, e-commerce, gaming and newer fields such as AI and AR/VR; in 2021 an estimated 13.7% of the metro workforce worked in tech jobs or tech occupations.
Your women’s business center for Seattle
Seattle has many local programs. WCWB adds free, ongoing advising focused on women owners, wherever you are in your business.
Ongoing one-on-one advising
Meet with your advisor as often as you need, by phone or video, to set goals and work through your plan.
Write your business plan
BEST is five self-paced online courses that take you from choosing a business structure to a finished business plan.
Learn on your schedule
Our free recorded webinars cover funding, marketing, taxes and growth, ready whenever you are.
Meet women owners statewide
INSPIRE, our women’s business conference each May, connects owners from across Washington.
More help in Seattle
Alongside WCWB, these Seattle organizations support local businesses. Each link opens their own website.
Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED)
The city’s small business office (206-684-8090, [email protected]) offers small business navigation, up to 10 hours of free one-on-one consulting per service area (bookkeeping, cash flow, loan readiness, taxes, marketing), Back to Business vandalism-repair and security grants, and a Small Business Handbook in eight languages.
Only in Seattle Initiative (OED)
City grants and staff support that help neighborhood business districts organize, market, clean up and recruit businesses; OED’s site also lists each district’s business association.
Community Business Connector (Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce)
Run by King County’s designated Associate Development Organization, a free platform to book advisors, find events and get language help; the Seattle Metro Chamber also runs a Small Business Hub.
The Seattle Public Library: Business & Nonprofit (Library to Business)
Free one-on-one appointments with business librarians, dozens of classes and workshops a year, and free market-research databases with a library card.
Ventures
A Seattle nonprofit for entrepreneurs who can’t easily get traditional business help, especially women, people of color, immigrants and people with low incomes, offering courses in English and Spanish, coaching, loans and the Ventures Marketplace incubator store in Pike Place Market.
Seattle Restored
An OED program run with Good Business Network of Washington that matches small businesses and artists with vacant storefronts for pop-up shops; 2027 applications open October 28.
Questions from Seattle business owners
Does Seattle’s new B&O threshold mean I don’t have to file?
No. Since 2026, businesses with less than $2 million in taxable Seattle revenue owe no city B&O tax, but every business must still file an annual return. An advisor can help you keep your records ready.
I want to try a storefront before signing a lease. Is there a way?
Seattle Restored, a city program, matches small businesses and artists with vacant storefronts for pop-up shops. An advisor can help you plan the pop-up and decide what comes next.
Does WCWB have an office in Seattle?
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.
Take the next step for your Seattle business
Free advising by phone or video, with no up-front commitment.