Open a Business in Aberdeen, Washington

Are you starting a business in Aberdeen, Washington? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Aberdeen.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Good Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Amateur Radio Equipment Dealership guide or our How to Start a Government Contracts & Claims Attorneys Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Aberdeen. Some businesses will do better in Aberdeen than others. Study Aberdeen demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Aberdeen, Washington Demographic Information

Aberdeen has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Aberdeen demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Aberdeen.

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8029
5-9 Employees	3654
10-19 Employees	2247
20-49 Employees	966
50-99 Employees	336
100-249 Employees	147
250-499 Employees	21
500-999 Employees	21
1000+ Employees	0
All Aberdeen Businesses	15421

As a new Aberdeen entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Aberdeen for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type	# of Businesses
Advertising Agencies	1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)	1
Amusement Arcades	2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	6
Automotive Transmission Repair	2
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	5
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	2
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	12
Civic and Social Organizations	5
Claims Adjusting	1
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Consumer Lending	2
Convenience Stores	3
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Credit Unions	6
Deep Sea Freight Transportation	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	1
Finfish Fishing	5
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fish and Seafood Markets	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	3
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Framing Contractors	1
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing	1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning	1
Full-Service Restaurants	20
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	5
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Grantmaking Foundations	2
Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	2
Historical Sites	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	11
Internet Service Providers	1
Janitorial Services	6
Jewelry Stores	6
Landscaping Services	5
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	21
Logging	11
Machine Shops	2
Mail-Order Houses	1
Marine Cargo Handling	1
Materials Recovery Facilities	1
Meat Markets	3
Medical Laboratories	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Museums	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
Navigational Services to Shipping	1
New Car Dealers	5
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	7
Offices of Chiropractors	6
Offices of Dentists	15
Offices of Lawyers	14
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers	1
Optical Goods Stores	2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Parking Lots and Garages	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Photography Studios, Portrait	3
Plate Work Manufacturing	1
Portfolio Management	2
Private Mail Centers	1
Radio Networks	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Recreational Goods Rental	1
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	6
Retail Bakeries	1
Roofing Contractors	5
Sales Financing	2
Savings Institutions	6
Sawmills	3
Securities Brokerage	4
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shellfish Fishing	3
Shoe Stores	5
Siding Contractors	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	9
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Support Activities for Forestry	4
Tax Preparation Services	1
Taxi Service	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Tire Dealers	4
Tour Operators	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	3
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Aberdeen, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only Washington company using the business name you have chosen.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Washington.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Aberdeen and advance your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising Campaigns discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Aberdeen, Washington, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Washington universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Aberdeen entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

Most new Aberdeen businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Aberdeen and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Aberdeen, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Aberdeen, Washington

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Aberdeen.

• Resources for Aberdeen, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Aberdeen entrepreneurs.
• Washington Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Washington.
• Washington Small Business Development Center - Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to Washington entrepreneurs and existing Washington businesses.
• Aberdeen, Washington Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Aberdeen, Washington newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Aberdeen area.
• Aberdeen, Washington Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Aberdeen, Washington area radio stations.

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