Opening a Business in Baker, Montana

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Baker. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.

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 a Logging Companies & Contractors Business guide or our Starting a Pentecostal Churches Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Baker has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Baker than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Baker demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Baker, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	603
5-9 Employees	234
10-19 Employees	189
20-49 Employees	54
50-99 Employees	0
100-249 Employees	9
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Baker Businesses	1089

As a new Baker entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Baker 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child Day Care Services	1
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Credit Unions	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Electrical Contractors	3
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	3
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Offices of Dentists	1
Offices of Lawyers	3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Company Formation in Baker, Montana

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Montana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Montana. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Baker, Montana, our information on Incorporating in Montana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Montana.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Getting your Baker business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Baker entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, you'll want to take a look at our List of Montana Angel Investors and our List of Montana Venture Capital Firms.

Selling Tips

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Baker business to do well.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Sales Forecasting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Baker, Montana, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Montana universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Baker networking organizations.

What's Next?

Most new Baker 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.

We are here to help Baker 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 Baker, Montana

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

• Resources for Baker, Montana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Baker entrepreneurs.
• Montana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Montana.
• Montana Small Business Development Center - The Montana Small Business Development Centers focus on the creation, retention and expansion of Montana small businesses.
• Baker, Montana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Baker, Montana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Baker area.
• Baker, Montana Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Baker, Montana area radio stations.

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