Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

“La paz no puede existir sin justicia, la justicia no puede existir sin equidad, la equidad no puede existir sin desarrollo, el desarrollo no puede existir sin democracia, la democracia no puede existir sin respeto por la identidad y el valor de las culturas y los pueblos.”
– Rigoberta Menchú Tum

Mientras nos tomamos el tiempo para reconocer las valiosas contribuciones de la comunidad Latine/x durante este mes, quería resaltar los caminos hacia la justicia económica y la propiedad empresarial que han afectado a nuestra comunidad Latine/x y de habla hispana este año. Un logro notable para CIE es que 29 nuevos miembros de nuestra comunidad latina han dado el paso audaz de iniciar un nuevo negocio. Ya sea que ese camino para nuestros clientes haya sido Simple Start o Comadres, estamos emocionados de ver la diversidad de nuevos emprendedores que deciden dar este salto de fe. De hecho, la diversidad es una de las mayores fortalezas de nuestro país. Entendemos que la comunidad Latinx/Chicanx no es un monolito y que no hay dos experiencias iguales, independientemente de la raza, etnia, idioma o país de origen. Estamos trabajando arduamente para expandir los servicios y satisfacer las necesidades únicas de nuestros empresarios en los diferentes grupos lingüísticos, identidades y generaciones y esperamos ver el crecimiento de nuevos negocios. Si se puede. Sí tu puedes.

“Peace cannot exist without justice, justice cannot exist without fairness, fairness cannot exist without development, development cannot exist without democracy, democracy cannot exist without respect for the identity and worth of cultures and peoples.”

– Rigoberta Menchú Tum

As we take the time to recognize the valuable contributions of the Latine/x community during this month, I wanted to highlight the pathways towards economic justice and business ownership that have touched our Latine/x and Spanish-speaking community this year. A notable achievement for CIE is that 29 new members of our Latina community have taken the bold step of starting a new business.  Whether that pathway for our clients has been Simple Start or Comadres, we are excited to see the diversity of new entrepreneurs deciding to take this leap of faith. Indeed, diversity is one of our country's greatest strengths.  We understand that the Latinx/Chicanx community is not a monolith and no two experiences are the same, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or country of origin. We are working hard to expand services and serve the unique needs of our entrepreneurs across the different language groups, identities, and generations and look forward to seeing the growth of new businesses. Si se puede.  Yes, you can.

Working WA 5 Checklist

1.     Obtain UEI Number. The application requires businesses to have a UEI number. SAM.gov | Duns - Sam UEI

a.     Here is a “How to” video to walk you through the process: Get a Unique Entity ID - YouTube

2.     2021 Financial Documentation. The application asks for proof of financial hardship and businesses must show financial documentation for 2021 in order to apply. If you have asked for an extension on 2021 taxes or have not completed them, please file them ASAP.

3.     Create Account on Application Portal. You can help businesses create their account and have their login credentials ready to go. Some businesses may already have an account through Submittable if they previously applied for a Working Washington grant. To help them create an account, click here: Submittable Sign In

4.     NAICS Code. The application will require your business’s NAICS code in order to identify what industry/sector they do business in. Locate that here: https://www.naics.com/search/

5.     Miscellaneous documents. Please make sure these are current/up-to-date (not expired, correct address):

a.     Government issued ID (license, passport, tribal ID card, or state/federal issued ID)

b.     WA business license with their UBI number (If expired, we can help you renew)

c.     Employee Identification Number (this doesn’t expire but should be on-hand)

Event: Comadres Graduation

We are thrilled to share that our first cohort in our Comadres program has been an enormous success. We designed this Latina Entrepreneurship Program to build community, business acumen and connect Latinas in Skagit and Whatcom Counties with the tools and resources they need to launch a business successfully.

The group started with the aim of attracting 20 budding entrepreneurs. It grew beyond our expectations to include 27 women eager to learn as much as possible, all while embracing the sentiment of community and cooperation. These women quickly created study groups to complete their homework and increase communication, including a WhatsApp group to help each other reach their goals.

These talented individuals each provided a "business pitch," an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of their business idea and plans to launch their microenterprise. Through the support of BECU/Mastercard, Western Washington University's SBDC, and the Whatcom Foundation, we provided $500 to every team or individual participant that attended all the sessions and completed the requirement for their final project. We are so proud of their initial success and can't wait to see what businesses launch as part of the program.

As part of their 3rd week in the program, we introduced our participants to resources at the local and state level to provide them with a well-rounded array of economic development support. The sessions were bilingual in English and Spanish translation.

The women and their families celebrated their graduation at COA, Mexican Restaurant, and Tequila Bar, a minority and women-owned business in Mount Vernon, on May 12th. We are so proud of their initial success and can't wait to see what businesses launch as part of the program.

Event: Mid Comadres Update

We are now entering the second week of our 1st Co-Hort in the Comadres Program, a Latina Entrepreneurship Program designed by the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship. Our goal throughout Comadres is to build community, teach business acumen, and connect Latinas in Skagit and Whatcom Counties with the tools and resources they need to launch a business successfully.

We received a whopping 27 applications, surpassing our expectation of 20! Our sessions have been uplifting as I can see the passion for learning shine through each individual. The shared values of embracing the sentiment of community and cooperation have created an inspiring learning space. These innovators have dedicated themselves to getting the most out of this experience. They were quick to form study groups to complete their homework and increase communication, including a WhatsApp group to help each other reach their goals.

These talented women have two more weeks to prepare for their "business pitch," an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of their business idea and plans for the launch of their microenterprise. Through the support of BECU/Mastercard, Western Washington University's SBDC and the Whatcom Foundation, we can provide $500 to every team or individual participant that attends all the sessions and completes the requirement for their final project. They will present their ideas on May 5th with a graduation celebration the following week.

We are so proud of their initial success and can't wait to see what businesses launch as part of the program.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Esta es la segunda semana de nuestra primera cohorte en el programa COMADRES, un Programa de Emprendimiento para Latinas diseñado por el Centro para el Emprendimiento Inclusivo para construir comunidad, perspicacia comercial y conectar a las latinas en los condados de Skagit y Whatcom con las herramientas y los recursos que necesitan para tener éxito. lanzar un negocio. El grupo comenzó con el objetivo de atraer a 20 emprendedoras en ciernes y creció más allá de nuestras expectativas para incluir a 27 mujeres ansiosas por aprender tanto como fuera posible, todo mientras adoptaba el sentimiento de comunidad y cooperación. Estas mujeres se apresuraron a crear grupos de estudio para completar su tarea, así como aumentar la comunicación para incluir un grupo de WhatsApp para ayudarse mutuamente a alcanzar sus metas. Estas personas talentosas tienen dos semanas más para prepararse para su "discurso comercial", una oportunidad para demostrar la viabilidad de su idea comercial y los planes para el lanzamiento de su microempresa. A través del apoyo de BECU/Mastercard, el SBDC de la Universidad de Western Washington y la Fundación Whatcom, podemos proporcionar $500 a cada equipo o participante individual que asista a todas las sesiones y complete los requisitos para su proyecto final. Presentarán sus ideas el 5 de mayo con una celebración de graduación la semana siguiente. Estamos muy orgullosos de su éxito inicial y no podemos esperar a ver qué empresas lanzan como parte del programa.

Introducing Micah and the Business Resiliency Track Program

Please join us in welcoming Micah Jonet to the CIE team in our Port Angeles office, where he will serve as our Resiliency Business Advisor.

Micah brings with him operational and financial experience from a wide variety of industries. A lifetime spent living and working in different rural areas throughout the country has exposed him to many of the problems facing rural entrepreneurship and the many different solutions people have used to grow through the challenges. He received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin system along with two certificates in Advanced Business Communications and International Business.

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy. Micah will work with existing micro-enterprises on the North Olympic Peninsula weather the economic downturn, become stronger, and help lead the recovery of a more resilient and sustainable local economy. 

Micah will be offering free “first step” assessments to help identify ways we can help micro-enterprises get ready to go to the next level as an onramp to the North Peninsula SBDC. He’ll also be offering resiliency assessments, helping businesses develop resiliency plans, and helping businesses access emergency loans and grants.