Business Startup Instructions

How to Start a Gas Station

If you are contemplating starting a gas station, step one is being sure to avoid the mistakes that other entrepreneurs learned the hard way.

Wondering how to start a gas station? We take you step-by-step from start to success.

How to Draft a Gas Station Business Plan

We know - writing a business plan can be a daunting task for a new entrepreneur.

There is nothing magical about a first-rate gas station business plan. If you can get past the mystique, you'll see that a business plan just describes where your gas station is headed and how you intend to get there.

Although there are many uses for a business plan, it's most important function is to guide your decision making and strategic planning.

Before you begin, we recommend reviewing a few sample business plans.

Assess Competitors

Long before you open a gas station in your area, it's worthwhile to see how you will fit in the competitive landscape. Use the link below to find competitors in your city. After following the link, enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of gas stations in your area.

How are you going to successfully complete with existing firms? It's important that you never underestimate the competition.

Find Good Remote Business Advice

Once you've finished assessing the competion, the next step is to have a conversation with someone who is in the business. If you think owners of nearby gas stations will give you advice, think again. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.

However, an entrepreneur who owns a gas station in another town may be more than happy to give you a few tips, as long as they don't view you as a competitive threat. In that case, the business owner may be more than happy to discuss the industry with you. Our estimate is that you may have to contact many business owners to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.

Where can you find an entrepreneur who is running a gas station in another city who you can speak with?

Simple. Let your fingers do the walking by using the link below.

Purchasing a Gas Station

Many experts advise against starting a gas station if you can buy an established operation. Yet the process of buying a gas station introduces a new set of challenges.

As you would expect, there are a number of steps in buying a business. To stay on track, you'll need to enlist the services of a business broker.

Business brokers specialize in helping buyers locate profitable gas station opportunities. They are also adept at guiding you through the purchase process so you can avoid the mistakes that are commonly made by first-time gas station owners.

Is Franchising the Right Option?

Your chances for doing well in business are greatly increased if you become a franchisee instead of doing it all on your own.

Before starting a gas station, a smart move is to check out whether there are good franchise opportunities available that might alleviate your startup process.

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.

Related Articles on Starting a Company

These additional resources regarding getting started as an entrepreneur may be of interest to you.

How to Find Angel Investors

What Business Should I Start?

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

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