The first few months of his business were challenging, and Juston realized he needed more funding to help expand his company’s reach. Thus, Juston connected to IRC Seattle’s Small Business Program through a partnership with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Soon after, he enrolled in PRIME and connected with his business counselor.
Alongside his business counselor, Juston identified factors that would prevent him from accessing capital. Juston worked to strengthen his personal financial literacy and business financial management with technical assistance supported by the IRC. His counselor provided credit counseling and education to assist Juston in becoming capital-ready.
During this time, Juston earned his first official dollar in his business. He held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official business launch, which included chamber staff and city representatives.
In the coming months, Juston plans to continue working with his counselor to improve his capital readiness, develop a more robust digital presence, and apply for a $20,000 business loan through IRC’s Center For Economic Opportunity (CEO) to purchase a work vehicle and inventory.
Juston’s long-term goals are to get into contracting with the state as an Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE)-certified business and ultimately be able to hire contract workers and expand.