Open a Business in Cortez, Colorado

Contemplating starting a business in Cortez, Colorado? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Cortez.

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.

• Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Cortez. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
• Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

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 Gymnastics Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Phone Communications Services Business guide.

Remember that you are opening your new business in Cortez. Some businesses will do better in Cortez than others. A critical consideration is whether Cortez demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Cortez, Colorado Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1894
5-9 Employees	786
10-19 Employees	408
20-49 Employees	204
50-99 Employees	48
100-249 Employees	6
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Cortez Businesses	3364

As a new Cortez entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cortez 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	2
Apprenticeship Training	1
Art Dealers	2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	4
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	7
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	3
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	2
Child and Youth Services	4
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	2
Consumer Lending	2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Credit Unions	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	3
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	10
Engineering Services	4
Family Clothing Stores	3
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	5
Florists	1
Flour Milling	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Hardware Stores	1
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	3
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	1
Human Rights Organizations	1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	14
Internet Service Providers	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	2
Jewelry Stores	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscaping Services	3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	13
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Logging	2
Luggage Manufacturing	1
Machine Shops	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	4
Medical Laboratories	2
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
Motorcycle Dealers	3
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	8
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	10
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Political Organizations	1
Quick Printing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Roofing Contractors	2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Septic Tank and Related Services	2
Siding Contractors	3
Site Preparation Contractors	4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sporting Goods Stores	4
Tax Preparation Services	3
Taxi Service	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Tire Dealers	4
Travel Agencies	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	5
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wineries	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Cortez, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as How Franchises Work. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include United Financial Services Group and CertiRestore. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bookstore Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Cortez, Colorado

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal 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. If you are starting a business in Colorado, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Colorado. In fact, you are allowed to 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Cortez, Colorado, our web page covering Incorporating in Colorado may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Colorado.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Colorado.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Raising money to fund your new Cortez business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 money, such as SBIR Funding.

For Cortez entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Colorado Angel Investors and our List of Colorado Venture Capital Firms.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Cortez. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cortez and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Cortez entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Cortez, Colorado

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

• Resources for Cortez, Colorado Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cortez entrepreneurs.
• Colorado Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Colorado.
• Colorado Small Business Development Center - The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is dedicated to helping small businesses throughout Colorado achieve their goals by providing free confidential counseling and various training programs.
• Cortez, Colorado Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cortez, Colorado newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cortez area.
• Cortez, Colorado Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Cortez, Colorado area radio stations.

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