PUYALLUP, Wash.–Small business owners and entrepreneurs can now get no-cost technical assistance to start, grow or buy/sell a business from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) office at Pierce College.
Liz Jamieson, the SBDC certified business advisor at Pierce College, provides one-on-one, confidential advising to small business owners in nearly any industry and at any stage of business development.
Jamieson has been assisting small business owners and entrepreneurs with loan applications, lead generation, social media marketing, cashflow management, marketing plans, business formation, online sales, HR issues and other business challenges for more than 20 years.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pierce College and expand services to small business owners across Pierce County,” said Sheryl McGrath, state director of the Washington SBDC. “Pierce College’s commitment to economic development and serving underrepresented community groups aligns well with the mission of the SBDC and our collaboration is already making a difference.”
In late fall 2022, Pierce College and the Washington SBDC sponsored a 16-week business development program for more than two dozen BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) business owners. The Business Collaborative project, which was created and implemented by NEXT Consulting, has been a catalyst in helping business owners increase the value of their business.
The Business Collaborative featured more than a dozen hours of advising for each participant, four group training sessions and a warm hand-off to SBDC advisors, including Jamieson, for ongoing assistance.
Jamieson joined the Washington SBDC in 2020 when she was hired as the SBDC advisor in Kittitas County. In 2022, she provided assistance to more than 125 small business owners. Her clients credited her with helping them access more than $2.5 million in capital, and saving or creating 172 jobs, and starting 12 different businesses.
Prior to joining the SBDC, Jamieson was a business coach and program director at the Women’s Business Center in Olympia. Typical of many SBDC advisors, Jamieson has been a small business owner and entrepreneur, most recently as CEO of a business consulting and marketing firm in Olympia. She also owned a website design and development firm for many years.
The SBDC at Pierce College is part of the Washington SBDC network, which includes more than 40 SBDC business advisors and three international trade advisors who work with small business owners and entrepreneurs across the entire state.
Washington State University (WSU) has been the statewide host of the Washington SBDC network since its inception in 1980. The program is sustained through a cooperative agreement between WSU and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). About half of SBDC funding is provided by the SBA and the other half comes from state and local agencies and organizations, including the Washington State Department of Commerce, WSU and other institutions of higher education, economic development agencies, municipalities and business and civic organizations.
Jamieson sees clients by appointment only. To set up an appointment, email [email protected] or call 833-492-7232.
For more information about the Washington SBDC, go to www.wsbdc.org.
