San Juan Islander

News from San Juan County in Washington state - Including Orcas Island, Lopez Island, Shaw Island, San Juan Island

EDC and Business Impact NW to Host Two Free Workshop on Capital Readiness for Businesses – Lopez and Friday Harbor

The EDC will host a free workshop led by Business Impact NW, to help small business owners, and startup entrepreneurs better understand loans and capital readiness. The two identical sessions of the workshop, titled Capital Readiness, will take place in person.

  •  The first is Tuesday, May 5th, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Friday Harbor House, San Juan Island.
  • The second is Wednesday, May 6th, from 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. at Lopez Island Library. Both sessions will have virtual registration available for those unable to attend in-person.

Capital Readiness: All businesses need capital. The capital readiness workshop provides an overview of funding and how to access it. It explains how to identify funding needs, purpose, and use. It also covers types of funding for each stage, how to prepare, and what lenders look for.

The workshop is presented by Gwen Kohl, a business advisor at Business Impact NW. Business Impact NW is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing coaching, classes, and access to loans to small businesses across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Business Impact NW has been serving entrepreneurs at every stage of their business growth, from early ideas to established businesses since 1997. Ms. Khol provides coaching and training to small business owners, assisting them with loan readiness, financial projections, and cash flow management. She helps clients understand their financial position, and how to launch or scale sustainably.

This workshop is free and requires pre-registration at https://sanjuansedc.org/bizlabs.

For more information, contact the EDC at (360) 378-2906 or info@sanjuansedc.org.

The EDC thanks the Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) for their statewide grant catalyzing these workshops. The EDC also thanks the funding partners for their support of this and other EDC programs: San Juan County, the Town of Friday Harbor, the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Ports of Friday Harbor and Lopez, the Orcas Island and San Juan Island Community Foundations, and individual and foundation donors.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) strives to support small rural enterprises and conduct projects to stimulate new job creation, strengthen the economic base for working families, and support overall quality of life for islanders.