The Blog

Larry Williams, Assistant Director, International Trade and Economic Development, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development

03/31/09

To help keep the engine of small businesses strong, CTED released a comprehensive guide that provides entrepreneurs and small business owners clickable access to a variety of resources needed to start and successfully manage a business.

The free 2009 Guide for Small Business in Washington State can be accessed online at: http://choosewashington.com/pdf/2009guideforsmallbusiness.pdf.

A joint study in 2007 by CTED and the Department of Revenue found that about 93 percent of the businesses that register to pay taxes in Washington meet the definition of a small business. These firms employ 20 or fewer workers or are solely operated by the owner.

So, while they may be defined as �small,� small businesses have a large impact on our economy and creating jobs.

In Washington, we�re proud of the fact that we�re one of the best states to start and run a business. In fact, in 2007, Fortune Magazine named Washington among the top five friendliest states for small business. And, in 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington the best state to start a business.

Small businesses often lack the resources and man hours to sift through the all the information available to them. This free, easy-to-use guide condenses it into one place. A one-stop resource for business information, the 2009 Guide for Small Business contains 10 sections that cover topics such as: Important State Agencies to Know, Selling to the Government, Developing a Business Plan, and Checklist for Starting a New Business.