Tacoma Launches "Tacoma Means Business"
www.tacomameansbusiness.com, the City of Tacoma’s new website aimed at attracting and providing resources to small businesses has launched. Meant as a one-stop-shop for new and existing small businesses in Tacoma, the site acts as an ambassador to Tacoma for businesses, and a guide to the city’s resources and requirements for setting up shop. And it’s a much more friendly ambassador than the City’s current website…
Rusty George Creative did the design-build work, Tacoma photographer Jason Ganwich gets credit for the photos, and Tacoma native Whitney Keyes did the copywriting. The whole project came in at $26,000, which is $14,000 less than the City had budgeted for the project.
The site’s content was guided by feedback from the local business community. What they developed was an easily navigable, bright and attractive website, with links to external sites and the City’s own website. Help is broken down into four main categories:
Why Tacoma?
This is the big question, isn’t it?
Tacoma isn’t your average city. Located in the Pacific Northwest, just 30 miles south of Seattle, it is situated along the shores of Puget Sound and within sight of majestic Mount Rainier. Tacoma is the main hub of business activity for the South Puget Sound and is anchored by major employers, such as Simpson Lumber Company, TrueBlue, DaVita, Multicare Health System, Franciscan Health System and Columbia Bank. It is also home to an eclectic mix of small and local independent businesses clustered throughout the downtown and residential neighborhoods.
Over the past two decades, Tacoma has transformed itself from a former lumber town to a city with nationally recognized museums, a University of Washington branch campus and a vibrant arts community. Rich in maritime history, the Port of Tacoma handles the 10th highest volume of cargo traffic in the United States. Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), the country’s third largest military base, is located just down the road along Interstate 5.
Highlights for Tacoma include quality of life, downtown and neighborhoods, universities and colleges, the arts scene, and upcoming projects.
Start Your Business
This category has a list of resources for new businesses, offering new Tacoma business owners a “start your business checklist” and advice on financing your startup, location, zoning and building permits, licenses and requirements, green your business, and other FAQs. The checklist in particular came from requests from business owners for a more or less comprehensive to-do list for getting started.
Grow Your Business
Existing business owners will find assistance and advice to help grow your business, financing your business, grow your market, green your business, and other FAQs. Financing and growing your market have been two of the most commonly asked for categories of assistance.
Business Assistance
Business assistance offered includes links to City of Tacoma staff, City of Tacoma services, classes and training, business coaching, financial planning, market research, green programs, networking, and local organizations.
If you’re looking to start that little shop or neighborhood bar you’ve always wanted, this may be the place to get started. At Tuesday’s study session council members had suggestions for the inclusion of a few other resources on topics such as export, minority owned business programs, and more data. We’re looking forward to seeing how the site interfaces with the redesigned City of Tacoma website when that launches, and we’re hoping for a Tacoma Means Business 2.0, with more hard data and resources aimed at larger businesses. We’re going to need an awful lot of cupcake shops to fill the Russell building…
What do you think of the site?
Filed under: tacoma-business
13 comments
C Christine March 30, 2012
More power to this endeavor! I love my Tacoma-based businesses and it is good to see them recognized and encouraged.
N NEAL March 30, 2012
Wow. That is nice.
Here’s to more local businesses!
F fredo March 30, 2012
I looked over the site. It’s fine and will probably help some people who have already decided they want to open up a business in Tacoma. For people from outside Tacoma, however, it didn’t provide much information relevant to choosing Tacoma over choosing other cities.
As a practical matter, prospective business owners should really look closely at the taxes and fees which they will be paying to locate here versus other potential sites. If you are planning a small margin type business these extra Tacoma-related costs could gobble up your potential profits.
The website is really just a way for the city council to look like it’s doing something for the business community. The reality is something quite different indeed.
J jd March 30, 2012
Great idea! I’m not even remotely tech-savvy, so I have a question. Will it only be viewed by people looking for this info, or is there a plan to advertise the site and what it has to offer? It’s easy to put this in a local newspaper or magazine (or something like Exit 133), but will it be advertised outside our region to draw in business from other cities/states? I mean, come on! WE already know how cool T-Town is. We just have to let everyone else know.
J jd March 30, 2012
Imagine my surprise to find a Fredo tax comment here! I’m picking up on a single, on-going theme with his posts. Sorry, make that two themes. I forgot to mention pessimism.
F fredo March 30, 2012
Exit 133 asked readers “what do you think of the site?”
I provided a lucid comment which did mention Tacoma’s unattractive tax rates. The people shown in the website are all laughing uncontrollably like they just drank some 4loco but the reality of trying to keep a business running in this city is no laughing matter. Don’t be fooled by a glossy website, if you are thinking of opening a business in Tacoma, run the numbers…twice.
N NEAL March 30, 2012
jd,
Yup!
Pessimism AND tax gripe achieved in Mar 30, 10:23 AM comment.
I’m not a business owner, but I know many here in the city, and those that are doing well tend to not complain so much, they just go out there and build their business.
F fredo March 30, 2012
I commented on the inadequacy of the city website. The website is purported to be a TOOL for prospective business owners but it can’t function in that manner because of the flawed design. If you want to refer to that as complaint or a pessimistic point of view that’s fine with me. No person with capital to invest is going to accept as a GIVEN that Tacoma is a great place to do business.
The anecdotal evidence that some business owners are doing great doesn’t invalidate the experience of the many who lose their life savings on impulsive business decisions.
N NEAL March 30, 2012
Seems to be a good place to start if I was an enterprising lad wanting to know the steps for starting out.
J jd March 30, 2012
Fredo keeps throwing out ideas without even offering even “anecdotal evidence” one way or the other. Are you an unhappy/dis-satisfied business owner, or are you merely an angry person who hates even the mere idea of taxes?
“Hey, Eeyore, Christopher Robin called. He said come on home, dinner is ready”.
F fredo March 31, 2012
ad hominem argument
F fredo April 1, 2012
“The whole project came in at $26,000, which is $14,000 less than the City had budgeted for the project”
Why didn’t the city employees just set up this site as part of their basic job description? Why did the site require additional taxpayer funding? The city already has 3000 people on staff, isn’t there anybody who can do this sort of basic site development?
M Mofo from the Hood April 1, 2012
Fredo, not all City of Tacoma personnel are stage props. I mean, the road crew flaggers are real.