Seattle already has some useful local and small business guides. That’s great, because that’s not what this website/newsletter is for. While I hope it also doubles as a discovery tool, I’m more interested in compiling a library of insights from founders and business owners in Seattle. I want other entrepreneurs and business-minded people to learn and develop new ideas from their peers. 

At risk of boring you, I’ll give you a bit of my background to explain how this all came together:

I’m a full-time freelance writer. I started my business in 2018. Between late 2021 and early 2023, I held a full-time role as the assistant editor of a cannabis industry publication, where I spent my days interviewing cannabis business owners, writing articles, and editing other people’s work. I thought, “Wow, I can really make a living doing what I love!” And then I got laid off. I quickly returned to the freelance grind and have stayed there since. 

Shortly after my layoff, I began freelance writing for a public relations company. I stuck around for a year, but I wasn’t a big fan of the PR world. I have a lot of respect for publicists and the work they do, but producing promotional materials for companies I didn’t necessarily think deserved the publicity felt gross. It was always the businesses with the big budgets who got the most press, and rarely the ones who were building something from scratch and having to get creative to make it work. 

That’s not to say all of the big budget companies aren’t deserving of their press. But from my experience interviewing business owners over the last eight years or so, I can confidently say that my most interesting and compelling stories came from small business with heart and grit. 

Seattle Small Businesses exists to give a deeper look into the people building something in this city. It goes beyond coverage of brick and mortar businesses and also includes business owners operating out of their homes or solely online. While I hope it does drive more business for featured subjects (and it will…), my biggest hope is that other business owners can take something valuable from each interview and apply it to their own work. I hope it connects like-minded business owners together and fosters an environment for collaboration and mutual growth. 

If you’re still with me, please subscribe to the newsletter and/or nominate someone to get featured.