Start a Business in Columbia Falls, Montana

Contemplating starting a business in Columbia Falls, Montana? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Columbia Falls.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Columbia Falls. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
• Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Columbia Falls, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	759
5-9 Employees	183
10-19 Employees	102
20-49 Employees	57
50-99 Employees	18
100-249 Employees	18
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Columbia Falls Businesses	1137

As a new Columbia Falls entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbia Falls 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
Ambulance Services	1
Amusement and Theme Parks	1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	1
Architectural Services	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Baked Goods Stores	2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	6
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	1
Credit Unions	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	4
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage	1
Finfish Fishing	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Framing Contractors	4
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing	1
Full-Service Restaurants	7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	4
General Freight Trucking, Local	5
General Rental Centers	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Manufacturing	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Interior Design Services	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	9
Limited-Service Restaurants	8
Logging	6
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Marking Device Manufacturing	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	2
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	6
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Primary Aluminum Production	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Residential Remodelers	2
Roofing Contractors	2
Sales Financing	1
Sawmills	3
Securities Brokerage	2
Septic Tank and Related Services	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Tax Preparation Services	2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing	1
Tour Operators	1
Used Car Dealers	4
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Wood Preservation	1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, 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.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Software. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Montana.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Obtaining startup financing for your Columbia Falls business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Columbia Falls entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Montana Angel Investors and our List of Montana Venture Capital Firms.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Columbia Falls and advance your business, you need a great marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Dealing with Angry Customers is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

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

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.

Selling Products on eBay offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Columbia Falls, Montana, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Montana universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking organizations for Columbia Falls entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Columbia Falls, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Columbia Falls and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Columbia Falls, Montana

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

• Resources for Columbia Falls, Montana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbia Falls 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.
• Columbia Falls, Montana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbia Falls, Montana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbia Falls area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Montana
Starting a Business in Circle
Starting a Business in Columbus

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Montana
Starting a Business Guides for Other States