Washington Business Summer 2017 | Washington Business | Page 31

So, You Think You
Want to Run a
Small Business?
Bobbi Cussins
Three of Washington’s 555,000 risk-takers opened their doors
and allowed a video camera and writer to capture a snapshot
of what it’s really like to be a small-business owner.
To steal a line from Seahawks Quarter-
back Russell Wilson, “there’s no time to
sleep” for small-business owners. From
a 4 a.m. wake up to juggling kids, pets,
chickens, a growing business and a life,
all while holding a cup of coffee in one
hand and eating a Kind Bar for breakfast
out of the other, small-business owners
are the backbone of the state’s eco-
nomy. Running one isn’t without risk
and sacrifice. Last summer, AWB hit the road for a statewide
Bag lunches are still cool, coffee is king and tag-
team kid support is required.
Those are just a few of the things we learned this
year by dropping in on the owners of three very
different small businesses. Heritage Distilling Company; Allison and Chad
listening tour to hear from small-business owners
about their challenges and concerns. Feedback
from the tour led to a detailed report and helped
shape AWB’s 2017 legislative agenda.
This summer, we spent part of a day job
shadowing the owners of three small businesses to
get a glimpse of what it’s really like to run a small
business in Washington.
The findings are less about policy and more
about what it takes to run a small business while
balancing a busy life and family.
We spent time with Justin and Jennifer Stiefel,
Budvarson, Out of the Box Manufacturing; and Ben
Marsh and Mark Estep, Scout Systems.
This is a look at everything from staff recruiting
and business plans to paperwork and hard work.