Idaho Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Coeur D Alene, Idaho

Thinking about starting a business in Coeur D Alene, Idaho? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Coeur D Alene.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Coeur D Alene. Some businesses will do better in Coeur D Alene than others. A critical consideration is whether Coeur D Alene demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Coeur D Alene, Idaho Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3833
5-9 Employees
1398
10-19 Employees
882
20-49 Employees
573
50-99 Employees
159
100-249 Employees
69
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Coeur D Alene Businesses
6938

As a new Coeur D Alene entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Coeur D Alene 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
3
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Architectural Services
10
Art Dealers
6
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
15
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
3
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
3
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
3
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
8
Computer Training
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
7
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Unions
5
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Roll Forming
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dental Laboratories
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
15
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
30
Electronic Shopping
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
16
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
6
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Flooring Contractors
9
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
19
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
23
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Gold Ore Mining
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
5
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
4
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
7
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
9
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Household Appliance Stores
3
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
51
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
2
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
9
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
4
Landscaping Services
29
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
45
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Logging
12
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
12
Mail-Order Houses
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
5
Marketing Consulting Services
8
Masonry Contractors
8
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
9
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Nail Salons
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
12
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nuclear Electric Power Generation
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
5
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
8
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
23
Offices of Dentists
45
Offices of Lawyers
92
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
8
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
13
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
8
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Quick Printing
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
7
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Remediation Services
2
Residential Property Managers
17
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing
1
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
3
Sawmills
2
Securities Brokerage
11
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
7
Siding Contractors
6
Sign Manufacturing
3
Silver Ore Mining
2
Site Preparation Contractors
9
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
24
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
18
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Support Activities for Forestry
10
Support Activities for Metal Mining
2
Taxi Service
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Temporary Shelters
2
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
8
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tobacco Stores
4
Tour Operators
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
8
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
11
Women's Clothing Stores
14
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Coeur D Alene, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Coeur D Alene Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Coeur D Alene.

Company Formation in Coeur D Alene, Idaho

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Idaho, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Idaho. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Coeur D Alene, Idaho, our web page covering Incorporating in Idaho may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Idaho.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Coeur D Alene business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Landing Big Customers is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Coeur D Alene, Idaho, you should check out some of the learning programs at local Idaho educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Coeur D Alene entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Coeur D Alene, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

We are here to help Coeur D Alene 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 Coeur D Alene, Idaho

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

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