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About StartZone

History

StartZone was funded in April 2008 with a Federal earmark administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. We began serving clients in October 2008. Today, StartZone consists of a program manager, two outreach specialists, four business specialists and a curriculum developer. We enroll about ten new members each month. More than half our members are women and more than eighty percent are minorities or immigrants.

Philosophy

StartZone believes in providing reality-based, individualized services to put members on the path to owning a profitable business.

• Reality Based – We help our members determine early whether or not they are ready to move forward and whether their startup or expansion goals are realistic and feasible. Our assessment tools help members make an early “go-no-go” decision, before they’ve invested a lot of time, energy and money.

• Customized Service – StartZone is not a one-size-fits-all program. Not all of our members need a business plan or are looking for financing for their business. Our members reflect the wide diversity of the community we serve and bring with them challenges that are often culturally-specific. We meet our member where we find them, help them articulate their business goals, and develop a customized work plan designed to help them overcome their specific challenges and move them toward success.

• Pathway to Success – StartZone is committed to helping members build businesses that are – or are on the path to becoming – formal, bankable and profitable. A formal business has all necessary business licenses and permits and pays taxes. A bankable business has positive net worth, positive cash flow, and a financial management system. Business profits should provide a reasonable return on investment and provide a living wage.

Staff

StartZone's multi-cultural and multi-lingual staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Our business specialists collectively bring years of experience working with people from diverse communities of the Puget Sound region to help them start and grow small businesses. Click here to learn more about our staff.

2400 S. 240th St
Des Moines, WA 98198
(206) 878-3710
TTY/TDD  (206) 870-4853

Page last updated: March 26 2009

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