Our mission is to make business ownership possible for people with limited resources in marginalized rural communities. We envision rural places with resilient, self-reliant, and racially just local economies benefiting all life.
Measuring Our Impact
The effect of CIE’s work in rural communities, to date…
900
Clients Served
65
Start Simple Courses Taught
860
Participants Trained
5,341
Counseling Hours
560
People Counseled
…have resulted in:
90
New Businesses Launched
234
New Jobs Created
340
Existing Jobs Saved
280
Business Financings
$4,378,600
in Business Financing Secured
Our Approach
CIE has a unique approach that sets us apart from other business support programs:
- Inclusive and Accessible
- Individualized Support
- Focus on Fundamentals
- Learning in Action
- Flexible Programs
- A Network of Local Partners
We welcome all people excluded from economic opportunity, providing a safe space for them to learn how to start and grow a business. We strive to be highly accessible. All our services are available at no cost. Our business advisors live in the same communities as our participants — they are neighbors with a deep understanding of the local landscape and a shared commitment to the success of the region. Our team is dedicated to ongoing professional development supporting our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our individualized one-on-one business advising allows us to understand the unique opportunities and challenges of each of our participants. We presume everyone has the potential to be successful. We honor the wisdom of each person we serve. We listen deeply to learn and tailor our support to help them build a business that will match their unique reality, interests, and skills to a business that can lead them to financial self-sufficiency.
We focus on basic business principles that are universal and timeless and apply to every business — past or future, new or old, big or small, local or multi-national. We explain these principles using concepts and examples that are common sense and familiar. This helps our participants build business literacy so they can explain their business ideas and goals in business terms.
We believe that the quicker we get participants out of the classroom and into the real world, with support and guidance, the quicker we can help them think like an entrepreneur, using simple, low-cost experiments that build customers as they discover what their market wants. Do it, learn, and improve the offering. Repeat.
Life happens. To keep our program accessible, our training courses are short, frequent, and modular so participants can pause to deal with life and return later to pick up where they left off — easily and whenever. Participants who move forward with one-on-one advising can determine their priorities and set the pace.
We have 50+ partnerships across rural Washington. These partnerships benefit our participants by connecting them to relevant resources, providing tailored support, and offering valuable community networks. Through these collaborations, our participants gain access to trusted mentors, local markets, and funding opportunities that align with their unique needs and goals.
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