Resources

Get Verified to do Business with VA

Get verified through the Vets First Verification Program to participate in the Veterans First Contracting Program for VA set-asides and sole-source contracts for SDVOSBs and VOSBs.

The Veteran’s Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE) provides military veterans, and military spouses the education, resources, and supportive environment to use their natural inclinations and skills to innovate and create their own professional lanes through entrepreneurship. VIBE, taps into several Washington regional assets—motivated veterans, a supportive community, a university setting—with the goal of supporting students as they learn about entrepreneurship and turn their ideas into viable businesses.

This is a road map for opening a business in the state of Washington. There are eight steps in the road map but not all of them will apply to your business. We recommend you read through all steps in this road map before applying for your business license. You can download the Road Map as a PDF file if you prefer that format.

Here are the 8 steps:

1. Research and make a plan;
2. Register your business with the Secretary of State (SOS);
3. License your business with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
4. Report your new employees to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS);
5. Apply for a Reseller Permit with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
6. Register as a contractor with Department of Labor & Industries (L&I);
7. Contact your local health department for food handling requirements; and
8. Check with your City and/or County for their requirements.

Start here to see what's involved in each step

Bunker Labs was built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans as leaders in innovation. The organization provides educational programming, mentors, events and thriving local networks to help military veterans start and grow businesses.

The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

The Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises is charged with certifying small, minority and women-owned businesses to facilitate their participation in public contracting and procurement. This is accomplished through a comprehensive certification process and education. The outcome - successful small businesses led by minorities, women and veterans help make our economy and our families more resilient, strengthening our communities and improving the quality of life for all Washingtonians.

No cost, confidential, one-on-one technical assistance in all aspects of selling to federal, state, and local governments.

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The Small Business Guides provides helpful information, links to valuable resources, and outlines the steps for starting and operating a business in Washington state. The Small Business Guide is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

The Business Guide includes sections that will help you plan, run, grow, or close a business in Washington State.

The Veteran Business Outreach Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. The SBA has 22 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC).

Get Verified to do Business with VA

Get verified through the Vets First Verification Program to participate in the Veterans First Contracting Program for VA set-asides and sole-source contracts for SDVOSBs and VOSBs.

The Veteran’s Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE) provides military veterans, and military spouses the education, resources, and supportive environment to use their natural inclinations and skills to innovate and create their own professional lanes through entrepreneurship. VIBE, taps into several Washington regional assets—motivated veterans, a supportive community, a university setting—with the goal of supporting students as they learn about entrepreneurship and turn their ideas into viable businesses.

This is a road map for opening a business in the state of Washington. There are eight steps in the road map but not all of them will apply to your business. We recommend you read through all steps in this road map before applying for your business license. You can download the Road Map as a PDF file if you prefer that format.

Here are the 8 steps:

1. Research and make a plan;
2. Register your business with the Secretary of State (SOS);
3. License your business with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
4. Report your new employees to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS);
5. Apply for a Reseller Permit with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
6. Register as a contractor with Department of Labor & Industries (L&I);
7. Contact your local health department for food handling requirements; and
8. Check with your City and/or County for their requirements.

Start here to see what's involved in each step

Bunker Labs was built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans as leaders in innovation. The organization provides educational programming, mentors, events and thriving local networks to help military veterans start and grow businesses.

The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

The Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises is charged with certifying small, minority and women-owned businesses to facilitate their participation in public contracting and procurement. This is accomplished through a comprehensive certification process and education. The outcome - successful small businesses led by minorities, women and veterans help make our economy and our families more resilient, strengthening our communities and improving the quality of life for all Washingtonians.

No cost, confidential, one-on-one technical assistance in all aspects of selling to federal, state, and local governments.

Subscribe to Newsletter

The Small Business Guides provides helpful information, links to valuable resources, and outlines the steps for starting and operating a business in Washington state. The Small Business Guide is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

The Business Guide includes sections that will help you plan, run, grow, or close a business in Washington State.

The Veteran Business Outreach Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. The SBA has 22 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC).

Get Verified to do Business with VA

Get verified through the Vets First Verification Program to participate in the Veterans First Contracting Program for VA set-asides and sole-source contracts for SDVOSBs and VOSBs.

We empower entrepreneurs, veterans, and people in rural areas to thrive and create financial well-being for themselves. Over the past 20 years, we’ve provided financial training, business training, business technical assistance, and microloans. We support people who are interested in starting or growing a small business, in order to create income for themselves and their families. In this way, we build communities in the many counties in Washington that we serve. 

We serve individuals living in or who have businesses in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Pierce (agriculture) Grays Harbor, Pacific, Clallam, Wahkiakum and Jefferson Counties in Washington.

Veterans: All programs are FREE and available to Veterans in Washington State thanks to funding from the WA State Department of Veterans Affairs

The Veteran’s Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE) provides military veterans, and military spouses the education, resources, and supportive environment to use their natural inclinations and skills to innovate and create their own professional lanes through entrepreneurship. VIBE, taps into several Washington regional assets—motivated veterans, a supportive community, a university setting—with the goal of supporting students as they learn about entrepreneurship and turn their ideas into viable businesses.

This is a road map for opening a business in the state of Washington. There are eight steps in the road map but not all of them will apply to your business. We recommend you read through all steps in this road map before applying for your business license. You can download the Road Map as a PDF file if you prefer that format.

Here are the 8 steps:

1. Research and make a plan;
2. Register your business with the Secretary of State (SOS);
3. License your business with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
4. Report your new employees to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS);
5. Apply for a Reseller Permit with the Department of Revenue (DOR);
6. Register as a contractor with Department of Labor & Industries (L&I);
7. Contact your local health department for food handling requirements; and
8. Check with your City and/or County for their requirements.

Start here to see what's involved in each step

Bunker Labs was built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans as leaders in innovation. The organization provides educational programming, mentors, events and thriving local networks to help military veterans start and grow businesses.

The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

The Veteran Business Outreach Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. The SBA has 22 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC).

Dr. Bridget Cantrell has worked with veterans for nearly thirty-years. She was
appointed the 2008 and 2004 Outstanding Female Non-Veteran for her
service by the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the
Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2008, she received the
Didi Hirsch Foundation Leadership Award for Erasing the Stigma of Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
She has her Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology and is a private
practitioner. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of
Washington. Dr. Cantrell is one of a small number of mental health providers
for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Program/ War
Trauma Program. She is credentialed with the VA system, Tri-Care, Tri-West,
Community Care, and a variety of insurance companies, etc.
Her dissertation research entitled “Social Support as a Function of PTSD
within Washington State Vietnam Veteran Populations” was presented to the
Washington State Senate Select Committee for Veterans as part of the
Governor’s Master Plan for the needs of veterans. Her research was used for
planning programs for the King County Veterans Program.
She also works with those veterans who have been sexually abused while
serving in the military. In 2003, she received the Highest Productivity award
for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) PTSD
program.
She is the Founder and CEO of Hearts Toward Home International, a
charitable non-profit organization dedicated to the recovery and reintegration
of trauma survivors. The organization has been given the Best of Bellingham
Award in the Non-profit Charitable Organization category by the U.S. Local
Business Association (USLBA).
Presently, she provides mental health services to military service members
from all branches of the military, reservists, and Guard troops and their
families. This work focuses on treating military personnel who have
experienced combat exposure or trauma, family deployment stress and
readjustment issues after returning home. She assists family members in
supporting themselves and their deployed loved ones.
She also works closely with First Responders, Law Enforcement, Fire Dept,
Border Patrol and first line hospital personnel, etc.
She provides her mental health services to a wide variety of individuals from
many walks of life.
Dr. Cantrell is also involved with veteran advocacy at the Federal and State
level to uphold the rights and ensure proper treatment of veterans. Dr. Cantrell
works with first responders and perspective employers to assure that our
veterans are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve in order to
succeed in the civilian sector. She is also an expert witness for court cases for
our military service members and civilians regarding PTSD. She sits on the
board for several veteran organizations such as The Invictus Foundation.
She has appeared on television news programs to discuss veteran concerns,
including CNN and FoxQ13. Has done many radio programs and has
appeared in several publications.
She is frequently under contract with the Department of Defense to provide
her workshops and lectures to military bases all over the U.S., Japan,
Okinawa and Italy etc. She has lectured at trauma conferences both in the
U.S. and internationally.
She has participated with various community veteran organizations: Combat
Veterans International, Run for the Wall (Rolling Thunder) Memorial Ride and
The Traveling Wall.
Dr. Cantrell is the author of 7 books with the focus on recovery after trauma.
“Turning Your Heart Toward Home,” “Down Range: To Iraq and Back,” “Once
a Warrior: Wired for Life,” “Souls under Siege: The Effects of Multiple Troop
Deployments—and How to Weather the Storm” and “Souls under Siege.”,
“Clandestine Hurt”, and “Still Outside the Wire”
Dr. Cantrell is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA),
Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists (ATSS) and The International
Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
Please contact Dr. Cantrell directly to schedule a time when she can work with
you, your unit or organization.

The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program at Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) is a rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention program serving eligible low-income Veterans and their families.  For eligible low-income Veteran households who are at risk of losing their housing or who are experiencing homelessness, the SSVF program may be able to assist with maintaining housing or securing permanent housing, including case management, connections to health care and benefits, and temporary financial assistance, based on individual needs.  For more information about the program or to see if SSVF may be able to help, please call 509-529-4980 or email SSVF@bmacww.org.

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs helps connect veterans and their family members to the benefits and services they earned through their military service. 

Our Central Office is located in Olympia and includes a Veterans Service Center as well as administrative support for all agency programs.

WDVA offers long-term care in our four State Veteran Homes (the Washington Soldiers Home, the Washington Veterans Home, the Spokane Veterans Home, and the Walla Walla Veterans Home) for honorably discharged veterans, and in some cases, their spouses. 

The Veterans Services and Counseling and Wellness Divisions provide claims assistance as well as counseling services for veterans and their family members.  And our State Veterans Cemetery honors veterans in their final resting place.

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs helps connect veterans and their family members to the benefits and services they earned through their military service. 

Our Central Office is located in Olympia and includes a Veterans Service Center as well as administrative support for all agency programs.

WDVA offers long-term care in our four State Veteran Homes (the Washington Soldiers Home, the Washington Veterans Home, the Spokane Veterans Home, and the Walla Walla Veterans Home) for honorably discharged veterans, and in some cases, their spouses. 

The Veterans Services and Counseling and Wellness Divisions provide claims assistance as well as counseling services for veterans and their family members.  And our State Veterans Cemetery honors veterans in their final resting place.

The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) is a nine-member council supported by a cabinet-level state agency. By statute, the Council provides strategic planning, oversight, advocacy, and program administration to support increased student success and higher levels of educational attainment in Washington.

The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) is a nine-member council supported by a cabinet-level state agency. By statute, the Council provides strategic planning, oversight, advocacy, and program administration to support increased student success and higher levels of educational attainment in Washington.