Contemplating starting a business in Bemidji, Minnesota? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Bemidji.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Bemidji. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Talk it over with a close friend or partner. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Bemidji, Minnesota Demographic Information
Bemidji has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bemidji demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bemidji.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1471 |
| 5-9 Employees |
669 |
| 10-19 Employees |
441 |
| 20-49 Employees |
246 |
| 50-99 Employees |
108 |
| 100-249 Employees |
33 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Bemidji Businesses |
2980 |
As a new Bemidji entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bemidji 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
5 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
4 |
| Book Stores |
4 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
8 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
9 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
4 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
9 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
18 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
8 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
9 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
21 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
6 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
8 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
3 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
8 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
12 |
| Offices of Dentists |
8 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
22 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
3 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
3 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Power-Driven Handtool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Sawmills |
3 |
| Scheduled Freight Air Transportation |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Skiing Facilities |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
4 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Thread Mills |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Bemidji Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Minnesota. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Bemidji.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Business
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.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Bemidji, it's very important that you make sure no other Minnesota company is using the business name you want to use.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.
Letting the World Know You Exist
To rise above the crowd in Bemidji and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Pros and Cons of Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Bemidji, Minnesota, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Minnesota educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Bemidji entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bemidji. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Bemidji and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bemidji, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bemidji, Minnesota
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bemidji.
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