Women offered business assistance

Women business owners can find assistance in Coupeville beginning Thursday, Jan. 10.

The Northwest Washington Women’s Business Center will have a representative in Coupeville the second Thursday of each month, at the office of the Island District Economic Development Council at 402 N. Main St.

The Women’s Business Center provides technical training and counseling to women business owners to enable them to acquire the skills they need to succeed.

“Statistics show that about 60 percent of businesses fail within the first two years,” said Kay Lasco, vice president of the Center. “Ninety percent of all small business failures can be attributed to poor management that results from a lack of knowledge and planning.”

The goal of the Women’s Business Center is to work closely with “community partners,” such as the EDC, to offer the latest in business information, training and counseling to women entrepreneurs.

Services include help with writing a business plan, preparing a loan application, and workshops that help build business skills and access to funding. Workshops and seminars on various topics will be offered throughout the year.

Sharleen Eller, assistant director of the EDC, said women on the island will welcome the assistance provided by the Women’s Business Center, particularly those new to the business world. “It’s a great thing,” she said. “It’s the basics of business that everyone has a problem with.”

The Women’s Business Center is part of Community Capital Development, a Seattle based community development agency. A non-profit organization, it began operating in July 2001 with a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership.

For those interested in learning more, orientations will be held each month between 11 a.m. and noon at the Coupeville office. To register or for more information, call 425-787-9856 or visit the website at www.seattleccd.com.

You can also inquire at the EDC office or call 678-6889.

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