Thinking about starting a business in Altus, Oklahoma? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Altus.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.
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 How to Start a Paintball Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our How to Start a Building Contractors' Referral Services Business guide.
Remember that you are opening your new business in Altus. Some businesses will do better in Altus than others. Study Altus demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Altus, Oklahoma Demographic Information
Altus has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Altus demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Altus.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1546 |
| 5-9 Employees |
624 |
| 10-19 Employees |
342 |
| 20-49 Employees |
258 |
| 50-99 Employees |
60 |
| 100-249 Employees |
30 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Altus Businesses |
2884 |
As a new Altus entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Altus 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 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
8 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
12 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Cotton Ginning |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Farm Product Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
22 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
5 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
11 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Altus, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How Franchises Work. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Rib Crib Barbecue and City Wide Maintenance. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Convenience Store Franchises and Home Décor Franchises.
Note on Altus Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Altus.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. 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.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oklahoma.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Altus business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Altus entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Oklahoma Angel Investors and our List of Oklahoma Venture Capital Firms.
Bring in Revenues
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Altus business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Mastering the Complex Sale is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Altus, Oklahoma, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Oklahoma educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Altus entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
Most new Altus businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Altus businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Altus, Oklahoma
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Altus.
- Resources for Altus, Oklahoma Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Altus entrepreneurs.
- Oklahoma Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oklahoma.
- Oklahoma Small Business Development Center - Whether you are in business or thinking about it, the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center staff can assist you. Their goal is to help Oklahoma entrepreneurs like you be more successful.
- Altus, Oklahoma Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Altus, Oklahoma newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Altus area.
- Altus, Oklahoma Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Altus, Oklahoma area radio stations.
- Altus, Oklahoma Payroll Services - This list includes Altus, Oklahoma payroll services, national payroll services for Altus, and helpful information on choosing a Altus payroll service.
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