SIMBA Business Bites: Canva Basics for Small Businesses

Join us for a focused 30-minute session designed to help small business owners confidently use Canva for their marketing needs. This workshop will cover platform navigation, brand consistency, effective use of templates, and best practices for creating professional social media graphics and promotional materials. Perfect for entrepreneur or small business owners who wants their visuals to match the quality of their work.

Date & Time: Wednesday, March 11 | 12:00 –12:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (Zoom) – Zoom Link

SIMBA Business Bites is a monthly series held every 2nd Wednesday, offering bite-sized learning on essential business topics to help you grow and succeed. At the end of the session, three attendees will be randomly picked to receive a free one-on-one consultation!

Smart Tech Systems for Future-Ready Businesses

Technology should support growth, not slow it down. This interactive event features roundtable discussions focused on protecting your business and streamlining operations through cybersecurity, automation, CRM, MarCom tech, and AI. Come ready to discuss, learn, and walk away with clear, practical next steps.

Date & Time: March 10, 2026 | 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Location: Spokane Public Library – Shadle Park, 2111 W Wellesley Ave, Spokane, WA 99205
Zoom Option Available

This event is hosted in partnership with SBRN and StartUp Spokane.

About Stephanie High / KaizenCX:
Stephanie High is the founder of KaizenCX, a technology advisory and solutions practice that helps businesses streamline operations and set up tools that actually make sense for growth, like CRM, automation, cybersecurity, and more. KaizenCX offers vendor‑neutral expert guidance so you get technology that fits your business goals. Stephanie brings over 20 years of experience in tech, marketing, and business development.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Home-care cooperatives center caregivers as owners — strengthening care quality, job stability, and local economies.

Are you interested in a unique work opportunity? Are you a caregiver interested in opening a business with other caregivers?

Join us for the NWCDC's Caregiver Co-op Builder Workshops! Learn from experts in the field about how to start a homecare cooperative- from licensing and governance to branding, funding, business planning, marketing, and launch. In each session, participants will walk through the steps it takes to get a home care cooperative off the ground!

Join us for 8 Weekly Sessions on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m., starting February 18th, 2026. These workshops are free to caregivers.

This event is hosted by SIMBA Members, Inland Cooperative Services

Terry Buffington Foundation February Events Featuring Urban Bush Women

Event Description
The Terry Buffington Foundation (TBF) presents a series of public February events centered on movement, culture, and social justice, featuring the nationally recognized dance company Urban Bush Women.

Events include a free, movement-based learning workshop open to all bodies and experience levels, a community panel discussion on art and social change, and a live performance of This Is Risk by Urban Bush Women at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre in Moscow, Idaho, on February 13, 2026.

The series concludes with the TBF Southern Dinner Fundraiser on Saturday, February 14, 2026 (Valentine’s Day) at The Courtyard Marriott-Pullman in Pullman, Washington. Proceeds support the Terry Buffington Foundation Endowment and future cultural programming.

UBW Performance Date: February 13, 2026
Time: 7:30-9:30 PM
Location: Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, 508 S Main St, Moscow, ID
Tickets: $10.00, $20.00, $25.00

Southern Dinner Fundraiser Date: February 14, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Courtyard Marriott Pullman/Alumni Ballroom 1295 NE North Fairway Rd.
Pullman WA
Tickets:
$75.00 Individua
$175 Couple (comes w/ 2 tickets redeemable for 2 glasses of wine from the cash bar and light Hors d’oeuvres!)
$1,100.00 Donor (Exclusive round table package that seats up to 8 people comfortably. The donor tables include 3 bottles of wine per table, and exclusive appetizers along with the best seats in the house, plus 8 UBW tickets !)

More information and tickets: terrybuffingtonfoundation.org

SIMBA Business Bites: Fiscal Sponsorship for Nonprofits & Businesses

Learn what fiscal sponsorship is, how it works, and how it can help your organization or project get started without forming a separate nonprofit. We’ll cover the benefits, responsibilities, and how SIMBA offers fiscal sponsorship to support community initiatives. Perfect for emerging nonprofits and community-focused for-profit businesses.

Date & Time: Wednesday, February 11 | 12:00 p.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (Zoom) – Zoom Link

SIMBA Business Bites is a monthly series held every 2nd Wednesday, offering bite-sized learning on essential business topics to help you grow and succeed. At the end of the session, three attendees will be randomly picked to receive a free one-on-one consultation!

This is not about fixing.
It’s not about grinding.
It’s about clarity.

Something feels off.
You’re doing the work, making the decisions, keeping the wheels turning… but the spark that once lit this path feels quieter than it should.

When strategy takes over and integrity gets buried under survival mode, it’s time to pause, not push harder.

The Aligned Business: The Honest Look is the first session of an in person workshop for founders, creatives, and leaders who are ready to get real about the business they’re actually running and reconnect with why they started in the first place.

Through guided reflection, journaling, and honest conversation, you’ll:
• See where your work is nourishing you and where it’s draining you
• Identify where pressure has replaced purpose
• Reconnect with the original spark that called you into this work
• Leave with a clearer, steadier sense of what comes next

February 9 | 5pm-7pm | Emma Rue’s 
Social hour + craft mocktails
90-minute guided workshop experience

You feel the pull, trust it.
Spots are limited. Register now and meet yourself back at the center of your work.

Get your ticket today. https://www.iamalliance.me/event-details/business-workshop-i-the-honest-look

The Small Business Design Audit: What's Hurting Your Brand?

Your marketing materials and branding might be silently costing you customers. Join Lejit Creative’s Joshua Thomas and Tyreil Poosri for a hands-on workshop where you’ll:

• Spot common design mistakes that make small businesses look unprofessional or get ignored

• See real before-and-after examples and live design audits

• Walk away with a practical checklist to evaluate and strengthen your business cards, website, social media, and marketing materials

Whether you're doing design yourself or working with a designer, you'll gain the eye to know what's working and what's not.

Date & Time: February 4, 2026 | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburg St.

This event is hosted in partnership with SBRN and StartUp Spokane.

About Lejit Creative:
Lejit Creative is a Spokane-based branding and design studio helping small businesses stand out with clear, professional, and memorable visual identities. From logos and websites to marketing materials, they make sure your brand leaves the right impression.

 We can’t wait to see you there.

For nonprofits of every size, if your organization is online, then integrating security for your data, devices, and apps must include every member of your organization. But what does this actually entail? And is subscribing to an automated training service or implementing phishing simulations the complete answer?

To answer these questions, we'll review data from non-vendor sources on the effectiveness of various awareness approaches. Then we'll look beyond phishing email training at a specific example of how one nonprofit built its program over two years with limited staff time and budget.

SIMBA Member, 501Secure is hosting this event.

SIMBA Business Bites: Federal Tax Prep Essentials for Small Businesses

Learn the key steps to prepare for Washington state taxes, understand important deadlines, and discover practical tips to keep your business compliant. Perfect for busy business owners looking for quick, actionable strategies to manage state taxes efficiently.

Date & Time: Wednesday, January 14 | 12:00 p.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (Zoom) – Zoom Link

SIMBA Business Bites is a monthly series held every 2nd Tuesday, offering bite-sized learning on essential business topics to help you grow and succeed.

Improv is a great way to develop communication skills, confidence, and creativity. Students in our next Intro to Improv 8-week course will learn to think on their feet, embrace the unexpected, and turn mistakes into gifts. Through games, scenes, and plenty of laughter, students will discover how improv can sharpen their listening, unlock their imagination, and help them let go of the inner critic holding them back. No scripts, no pressure. We offer a welcoming space to play, learn, and surprise yourself.

The course is January 12 - March 2 (Every Monday) from 7:00 to 9:00 PM

This event is hosted by SIMBA Member, The Blue Door Theatre.

Connect with local artists, educators, and arts supporters. Meet arts ed leaders from across the state.
Gain fresh inspiration, discover new resources, and enjoy light refreshments in a relaxed, creative atmosphere!
RSVP to be entered into the raffle, too!

This event is hosted by SIMBA member ArtEd Washington.

This is event is hosted by SIMBA Member, Pamper Me Pink Boutique.

Celebrate the season at the Festival of Fair Trade this Thanksgiving weekend!

Discover North America’s longest-running fair trade market, filled with beautiful, handcrafted treasures from Nepal, Guatemala, Chile, and over 40 other countries. From unique artwork and apparel to jewelry, accessories, and home décor, you’ll find gifts with purpose and stories worth sharing. Enjoy live music, delicious food, and the joy of shopping in the community while supporting artisans around the world.

SIMBA Members, Kizuri, host this event.

Celebrate the season at the Festival of Fair Trade this Thanksgiving weekend!

Discover North America’s longest-running fair trade market, filled with beautiful, handcrafted treasures from Nepal, Guatemala, Chile, and over 40 other countries. From unique artwork and apparel to jewelry, accessories, and home décor, you’ll find gifts with purpose and stories worth sharing. Enjoy live music, delicious food, and the joy of shopping in the community while supporting artisans around the world.

SIMBA Members, Kizuri, host this event.

Beyond the Bake Sale: Diversifying Your Nonprofit Revenue Mix

This workshop is designed specifically for nonprofit organizations looking to strengthen financial sustainability and move beyond traditional fundraising. Learn practical strategies to diversify revenue, build resilience, and increase your nonprofit’s impact.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Note we are full in-person! We still have space on Zoom!

Cost: Free for SIMBA Nonprofit members | $15 for non-members

RSVP to secure your spot and get the Zoom link. Payment is required for non-members in advance to secure their spots and receive the Zoom link.

About Kari Anderson
Kari Anderson is the founder of Incite! Consulting Group, bringing over 25 years of hands-on experience in nonprofit leadership. Having served as an Executive Director and board member, she understands the unique challenges nonprofits face. Kari specializes in helping organizations build sustainable revenue streams, develop strategic plans, and enhance leadership effectiveness. Her approach combines practical strategies with a deep empathy for the nonprofit sector.

Intro to Co-ops & Using the Worker Co-op Model as a Business Succession Strategy 

Join us for this free event with Emily Daley from SIMBA Members, Inland Cooperative Services. Discover how worker cooperatives provide effective solutions for business succession. This session covers co-op models, real-world transition examples, and how Inland Cooperative Services helps owners, workers, and communities keep businesses thriving.

Date & Time: Thursday, October 30 | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburg St. (Zoom Option Available)
Hosted by: SIMBA, Inland Cooperative Services, and StartUp Spokane

About Inland Cooperative Services:
Based in Spokane, Washington, ICS supports small businesses and cooperatives through bookkeeping, financial advisory, cooperative lending, and technical assistance, helping communities build resilient, values-driven economies.

Ever wonder how Walmart, Amazon, Dollar chains, or other big retailers can set their retail prices lower than independents? We invite you to join a virtual briefing that will detail how mega retailers use their market power to extract unfair pricing, access, and promotions from suppliers, allowing them to undercut small and medium-sized competitors on retail prices. This illegal practice has been largely unpoliced; however, a groundswell movement is emerging to fight back. Small businesses can join together to urge federal regulators to revive the Robinson-Patman Act – a law passed in the 1930s to safeguard the ability of Main Street businesses to compete.

Join independent business associations to see how your business can stand up to big corporate power and level the playing field.

Attendees will learn:

• How large corporations use their market power to bully suppliers into special deals or access, which results in smaller competitors shouldering higher wholesale costs for the same truckload of goods  

• Why this is illegal, and why the lack of enforcement has led to unfair marketplaces

• How small businesses can take action

Host Organizations from the Small Business Rising Coalition

• American Booksellers Association

• American Independent Business Alliance

• American Specialty Toy Retailing Association

• Cambridge Local First 

• Independent Natural Food Retailers Association

• Independent Shopkeepers Assn

• Institute for Local Self-Reliance

• Local Business Institute

• Local First Arizona

• Local Return

• Louisville Independent Business Alliance

• Lowcountry Local First 

• National Community Pharmacists Assn

• National Grocers Assn

• Small Business Majority

• Spokane Independent Metro Business Alliance

Join Us for a Briefing for Small Business Owners — How Big Retailers Get Illegal Pricing Deals and How to Fight Back

Why do mega retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and the dollar chains get better deals from suppliers than independent businesses do? You are invited to join a virtual briefing detailing how mega retailers use their market power to extract illegal pricing, access, and promotions from suppliers — advantages that are denied to their smaller competitors. That's how they've undercut local retailers on price. This illegal practice has been largely unpoliced, but there is a groundswell movement to fight back. By reviving the federal Robinson-Patman Act and similar state laws, we can safeguard the ability of Main Street businesses to compete.

Join independent business associations to see how your business can stand up to big corporate power and level the playing field.

Join Pamper Me Pink Boutique for a heartfelt brunch filled with inspiring stories, empowering speakers, and uplifting community connections. Your sponsorship or ticket purchase helps turn awareness into action and hope into reality — because every woman deserves a chance to heal, to thrive, and to be pampered with kindness.

General Admission $40

VIP Sponsor Tables $320

Get Your Tickets Today!

Hosted by SIMBA member Pamper Me Pink Boutique.

33 Artists Market at the Hive— Saturday, October 25th | 10 AM–4 PM
The Hive 2904 E Sprague Ave @ Spokane Public Library
Family friendly | Free admission
Join us for a full day of art, connection, and creativity! Each 33 Artists Market is unique — featuring a fresh lineup of artists, fine art, and handmade goods from across the Inland Northwest.
This month’s artists include:

Owl Moon Pottery • Katie & Kin Ceramics • Earth to Art Pottery • Oh No Pots! • Sheri Medford • Keith Harrop – Pencil Art • Firefly Floral • eM Knits • Hasty Faun • Owl Song Feltery • Ray of Light Fused Glass • Zōmi • Autumn Leaves Leatherworks • Yuja Atelier • Michele B • Sadeh Parris • Rebel Refashion • Spokane Zero Waste • Paper Collages by Jacquie • STiNKO STUDiOS • Carly Ellis Art • Catbird Art & Patty Driscoll Art • Gwyn Pevonka • Evermore Market • Linnea Tobias • JoHern Studios • Megan Perkins Art • Nicole Hague • Craft and Textile • Drye Goods • Nomadic Knots • Colin Hayes Art • The Grain Mill • Local Knits / Lazy Eye Supply • Bungalow Studio

Explore. Connect. Support local artists.

Access to Capital Virtual Events

Here is an event for small businesses to learn about funding sources, lending opportunities, and services available to help their business grow. These sessions are part of the Virtual Small Business Lending Series, created following an Industry Roundtable that identified gaps in small business lending and access to capital.

Upcoming Sessions (Virtual via Zoom):

• Session 3: Access to Capital for Start-ups
  October 23 | 10:00 – 11:30 AM
  For entrepreneurs operating 0–24 months or those preparing to launch a business. Learn about loans, funding programs, and other resources available to help start-ups access the capital they need.
  Register here: Session 3 - Access to Capital for Start-ups

• Session 4: Access to Capital for Established Businesses
  October 23 | 3:00 – 4:30 PM
  For business owners with at least 2 years in operation. Explore funding options to stabilize growth, manage cash flow, or invest in new projects.
  Register here: Session 4 - Access to Capital for Established Businesses

Both sessions will include interactive breakout rooms where participants can connect directly with lenders, ask questions, and learn more about available services.

Bonus Resource:
Catch up on our earlier session, The 5 C’s of Credit, for insights on how lenders evaluate businesses.
[Watch the recording here] (Passcode: S*@8kg+6)

This event is not hosted by SIMBA. It is hosted by the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises.

Patty PerShayla Live at The Listening Room

Don’t miss an electrifying night with Patty PerShayla, the five-foot singer with a ten-foot voice. Known for her powerhouse vocals, fearless stage presence, and genre-bending rock ’n’ roll, Patty commands every room she plays. Whether perched on one leg with a bass or strutting the stage in platform heels, she delivers an unforgettable performance filled with grit, fire, and soul.

With roots in rock, folk, and punk, Patty’s music challenges norms, tells raw stories, and keeps audiences on their feet. Critics have called her “a force of nature” and “a rock ’n’ roll Tinkerbell” — and Spokane gets to experience it up close in the intimate, acoustically rich Listening Room at Hamilton Studio.

We're excited to announce opener, Hannah Siglin!

Hannah is a rising folk/Americana artist rooted in the Inland Northwest, known for her evocative songwriting and warm vocal delivery. With a keen ear for storytelling, she weaves personal narratives, lush imagery, and earworm melodies into her music. Garnering attention as an “Artist to Watch,” her work bridges tender folk traditions with contemporary resonance, making her the perfect opener to warm up the crowd and set the emotional tone for a night full of musical depth.

This will be a night of Blues, Rock, and sweet Americana music.

One night only. Limited seating. Get your tickets now for this high-voltage show!

Food & Drink | Free Street Parking | ADA Accessible

Join with four local, environmentally-focused organizations that want to make a change to the way we use and dispose of plastic in our community! Hosted by Rogue Heart Media SPC and Spokane Zero Waste, with underwriting by Spokane Riverkeeper and Measure Meant, come to our free event to see the brand-new film that delves into the worrying connection between microplastic pollution and human health. Stay after the screening for a Q&A panel with local environmental and health leaders. All guests are entered to win door prizes!

Waste is at the core of some of the most critical environmental issues. We've spent decades and millions of dollars developing waste management systems that have ingrained waste-making into our culture. Join with these environmentally-focused, local businesses and build community practices that support our health and our environment.

The award-winning feature documentary Plastic People investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health … Now, leading scientists are finding these particles in our bodies: organs, blood, brain tissue, and even the placentas of new mothers. What is the impact of these invisible invaders on our health? And can anything be done about it?

"Plastic People is one of those essential state-of-our-world documentaries.” - Owen Gleiberman, Variety.

Get FREE tickets here!

This event is hosted by SIMBA members, Spokane Zero Waste, and Rogue Heart Media.