Local Business Assistance & Economic Development

Two excellent resources for business assistance information are WorkSource Washington Business Assistance and King County Business Resource Guide.

For your convenience, a list of commonly requested topics and resource links is provided below. We hope you find it useful for quickly accessing local and other on-line resources that can address your business needs.

Small Business Assistance

• Small Business Administration-Seattle District Office ~ A WorkSource Partner ~
  Access to financial programs and technical assistance services for entrepreneurship - calendar of SBA events
• Seattle SCORE
  National non-profit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses - workshop calendar
• Small Business Development Centers
  Expert assistance and information about emerging business technologies for established businessess
• Women's Business Centers
  Wide range of services for women entrepreneurs at all levels of business development
• Washington Cash
  Access to capital and business development training for low income women, people with disabilities, and other underserved individuals
• Community Capital Development
  Access to capital and business assistance for low-income, women and minority entrepreneurs, and small businesses in distressed and underserved communities
• SBA Loan Briefings
  Information sessions about how to secure money to start, expand, or buy a small business
  

• NEW! Self-Employment Assistance Program
  Program that allows unemployed workers to receive unemployment benefits while they train to become self-employed
  

• Jump Start Loan Fund
  Loans up to $5,000 to start or strengthen your business
  

• FreePatentsOnline
  Free patent searching, PDF downloads, competitive intelligence alerts, and other tools

Also refer to the Business Networking & Support listings.

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Employment Law

• ELAWS
  Employment laws assistance
  
  
• BusinessLaw.gov
  Comprehensive online resource guide that provides legal and regulatory information
  
  
• Pre-Employment Inquiries
  Examples of fair and unfair inquiries apply when made in reference to job application forms, preemployment interviews, or any other type of inquiry made of job applicants

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Tax Reports & Information

• Washington Tax Center
  File Washington State Excise Taxes, quarterly Industrial Insurance Reports, and quarterly Unemployment Insurance Tax and Wage Reports on-line
  
  
• Unemployment Insurance (UI)
  Tax Information and tips from the UI Tax Administration
  
  
• Department of Revenue
  Information on general tax topics for businesses
  
  
• Internal Revenue Service
  General tax information for businesses
  
  
• Business Update
  News and tips for business tax payers
  
  
• Local District Tax Offices (Bellevue, Seattle South, Seattle North)
  Contact information for local offices that can address tax questions

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Tax Credits & Incentives

• Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Welfare to Work Tax Credit (WtW)
  If eligible, save up to $2,400 with WOTC and up to $8,500 with WtW

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Department of Labor & Industry

• L & I Home Page
  Information for providing a safe and healthy work environment
• On-Line Forms
• Workplace Posters
• Bellevue Field Office
• Seattle Field Office
• Tukwila Field Office
  
  
• Preferred Worker Program
  Opportunity for saving money on industrial insurance

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Economic Development

• Doing Business in Seattle
  City of Seattle—Office of Economic Development
  
  
• Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County
  Non-profit organization that works to retain and recruit family-wage jobs in King County
  
  
• Trade & Economic Development
  Washington State—Office of Trade & Economic Development

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Human Resource Tools & Guidelines

• O*NET
  Database with information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities, and interests associated with occupations—Can be used for a variety of human resources functions, including the development of job orders and position descriptions
  
  
• Employ Experience
  Information and best practices for keeping a competitive edge by attracting and retaining older, more experienced workers
  
  
• Youth@Work
  Resource for employers looking for enthusiastic, hard-working young employees
  
  
• Small Business Owners Toolkit
  Information and tools to help you start, run and grow a successful small business
  
  
• The HR Manager
  Convenient on-line reference guide to a broad range of Human Resources topics
  
  
• HRVillage
  On-line resource created by human resource professionals
  
  
• Society of Human Resource Management
  Association committed to serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the human resource profession
  
  
• Downloadable Business Forms
  Variety of free, downloadable forms for your various business needs

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Employee Retention & Assistance

Employee turnover costs your company money. You can control the work environment, but there are factors outside the workplace that can affect an employee’s success on the job. The following resources can help address a variety of concerns:

• Crisis Clinic
  Searchable database of thousands of services within King County
  
  
• King County Metro—Public Transportation
  Metro Transit information
• Employer Commute Services
  Metro Transit programs for employers
  
  
• Calculating the Cost of Employee Turnover
  Article and on-line calculator from the University of Wisconsin—Cooperative Extension Center for Community Economic Development
  
  
• Press Release—Employee Retention: A Costly Oversight
  Press release from Venturi Staffing Partners, formerly Thomas Staffing
  
  
• Employment Staffing
  Article from ”The HR Manager” addressing effective hiring strategies, controlling employee turnover, and involuntary terminations

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Employee Development & Training

• Washington Customized Training Program (CTP)
  Training assistance provided by community, technical, and private career colleges to businesses locating new jobs or expanding jobs within Washington State
  

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Disability Awareness & Sensitivity

• Washington State Dept of Social & Health Services—DVR
  Employment resource to the business community, assisting in hiring and retaining employees with disabilities
• Facts About the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Facts and definitions related to the ADA
• Disability Etiquette & Language Suggestions on how to relate to and communicate with and about people with disabilities
• Able Job Seekers Ideas, resources, and assistance on issues related to serving applicants and employees with disabilities
  
  
• Job Accommodation Network
• Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR)
  System for exploring various accommodation options for people with disabilities in work and educational settings
• The ADA: Your Responsibilities as an Employer
  Answers to common questions employers have about the Americans With Disabilities Act
  
  
• Effective Interaction: Communicating With and About People with Disabilities in the Workplace
  Tips for speaking or writing about and interacting with people with disabilities

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Business Networking & Support

Chambers of Commerce in Seattle-King County
(Links for chambers with current websites)

• Auburn
• Ballard
• Bellevue
• Covington
• Federal Way
• Issaquah
• Kent
• Kirkland
• Maple Valley/Black Diamond
• Mercer Island
• Renton
• Redmond
• Seattle
• Shoreline
• Snoqualmie Valley
• South West King County
• West Seattle
• Woodinville
  
  
• Better Business Bureau of Western Washington, Alaska and Idaho
  A not-for-profit, private organization with the goal of maintaining fair and honest business dealings between consumers and businesses in our community
  

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