Small Business Support

SIMBA is part of the Department of Commerce Small Business Resiliency Network helping multi-ethnic and diverse small and micro businesses in Washington State recover from the pandemic.

Since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, SIMBA has been able to help over 700 multi-ethnic and otherwise under-represented or under-served businesses, and has brought over $3.5 million dollars in federal and state resources into our region to help independent businesses survive and recover.

Our Technical Assistance team is available to help business owners navigate all their business needs from startup to stay up, including the following topics:

Robin Haynes: 509-228-2320, robin@spokaneindependent.org, SIMBA Executive Director

Topic Areas: Human Resources Best Practices (hiring, firing, employee handbooks, wage and hour laws, leave provisions, recordkeeping); Employee vs. Independent Contractor analysis and advice; Employment contract reviews (including non-compete and non-disclosure provisions); Business startups and conversions (sole proprietorship, LLC, partnerships, corporations); Compliance issues and advice; Non-profit formation and governance; Live Local Directory and Marketplace marketing tools; Grant Writing, Application Assistance, and Competitiveness/Eligibility Assessments; Business recordkeeping requirements and advice; Contract review (leases, buy-sell agreements, licensing agreements); General operational advice and CRM Trainings; Project management systems (Kanban, waterfall); The Local Frequency and Local Dollars programs; Proficient in reading Spanish (basic Spanish speaking skills)

Alexis McLaughlin: 509-251-8858, alexis@spokaneindependent.org, SIMBA Business Services & Communications Associate

Topic Areas: Marketing; digital marketing, advertising, promotional, and marketing metric analytics (Google Analytics);  Social Media; social media strategy, content creation/curation, social media management, social media advertising, analytics, and insights (Meta Bussiness Suite). Website maintenance and building (Shopify), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), CRM integration and maintenance (Podium, PERQ, and Constant Contact); Live Local INW; All SIMBA Offerings