Investigate the Competition

Long before you open a charity in your area, it's worthwhile to find out how many competitors you have. We've provided the link below to help you generate a list of competitors in your city. After clicking on the link, type in your city, state and zip code to get a list of charities near you.

• Locate Charities Near You

How tough is the competition in the market you are considering? If the competition is too tough, you may need to think about starting the business in a different area or even start a completely different business instead.

Studying the Market

As part of your due diligence on opening a charity, it's a smart move to speak with somebody who is already in the business. It's very unlikely that the local competition will talk to you. Why would they want to educate a future competitor?

However, an entrepreneur who owns a charity in a different city may be willing to share their entrepreneurial wisdom with you, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community. In that case, the business owner may be more than happy to discuss the industry with you. If you are persistent, you can find a business mentor who is willing to help you out.

Where does one find a charity entrepreneur in another community?

Here's one way to do it. Just use our link below, find somebody and call them.

• Search for Charity Owners

Don't Forget About Franchising As an Option

If you are launching your first business venture, it's a good idea to look into whether it makes sense to franchise instead of doing everything yourself.

If you are thinking about opening a charity, it's worthwhile to assess whether buying a franchise could make it easy to get started.

The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.

• Explore Franchising Opportunities