Are you starting a business in Cottage Grove, Oregon? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Cottage Grove.
Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?
Most startup businesses do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur 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.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Cottage Grove. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Cottage Grove, Oregon Demographic Information
Cottage Grove has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Cottage Grove demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Cottage Grove.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2932 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1176 |
| 10-19 Employees |
588 |
| 20-49 Employees |
216 |
| 50-99 Employees |
72 |
| 100-249 Employees |
72 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Cottage Grove Businesses |
5056 |
As a new Cottage Grove entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cottage Grove 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 |
| Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
1 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
|
Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
|
Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
9 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
|
Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
|
Engineering Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
12 |
|
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
7 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
|
Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Logging |
22 |
|
Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marking Device Manufacturing |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
|
New Car Dealers |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
9 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
4 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
|
Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Poultry Processing |
1 |
|
Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Sawmills |
2 |
|
Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
|
Support Activities for Forestry |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Naming the Company
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.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Cottage Grove, it's imperative that you check now that no other Oregon company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Cottage Grove, Oregon
It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation 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 Oregon, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Oregon. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Cottage Grove, Oregon, our information on Incorporating in Oregon may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oregon.
Ramping Up Sales
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Cottage Grove business to do well.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Closing Sales Techniques is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Cottage Grove, Oregon, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Oregon universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Cottage Grove entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
Most new Cottage Grove 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cottage Grove and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Cottage Grove, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Cottage Grove, Oregon
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Cottage Grove.
- Resources for Cottage Grove, Oregon Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cottage Grove entrepreneurs.
- Oregon Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oregon.
- Oregon Small Business Development Center - Oregon Small Business Development Centers use a client-centered approach to deliver counseling, training, information and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management. There is no fee for their assistance.
- Cottage Grove, Oregon Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cottage Grove, Oregon newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cottage Grove area.
- Cottage Grove, Oregon Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Cottage Grove, Oregon area radio stations.
- Cottage Grove, Oregon Payroll Services - This list includes Cottage Grove, Oregon payroll services, national payroll services for Cottage Grove, and helpful information on choosing a Cottage Grove payroll service.
- Cottage Grove, Oregon Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Cottage Grove, Oregon, such as business brokers in Cottage Grove and other helpful information on how to buy a Cottage Grove business.
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