Open a Business in Cottonwood, Arizona

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

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 an Air Conditioning Contractor Business guide or our Starting an Auto Diagnostic Equipment, Parts, & Supplies Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Cottonwood has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Cottonwood than others. A critical consideration is whether Cottonwood demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Cottonwood, Arizona Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	9360
5-9 Employees	3792
10-19 Employees	2328
20-49 Employees	1296
50-99 Employees	264
100-249 Employees	144
250-499 Employees	24
500-999 Employees	24
1000+ Employees	0
All Cottonwood Businesses	17232

As a new Cottonwood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cottonwood 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	2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	4
Architectural Services	3
Art Dealers	3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	2
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	3
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer Systems Design Services	3
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Couriers	2
Credit Unions	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	5
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Electron Tube Manufacturing	1
Electronic Shopping	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	7
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	5
Family Clothing Stores	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	6
Flooring Contractors	4
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Framing Contractors	2
Freight Transportation Arrangement	2
Full-Service Restaurants	19
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	11
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	5
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Hardware Stores	2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	4
Household Appliance Stores	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	14
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Investigation Services	1
Janitorial Services	4
Jewelry Stores	3
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	21
Machine Shops	3
Mail-Order Houses	2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	8
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Motorcycle Dealers	2
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	6
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	7
Offices of Dentists	14
Offices of Lawyers	11
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	10
Payroll Services	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Professional Employer Organizations	3
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	3
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	2
Sales Financing	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Sewage Treatment Facilities	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	3
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Temporary Shelters	2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Travel Agencies	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	2

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Cottonwood, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Sir Chocolate and Certified Travel Services. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Care Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.

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

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Cottonwood, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Arizona business.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Arizona.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Raising money to fund your new Cottonwood business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Cottonwood entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Arizona Angel Investors and our List of Arizona Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Business

To grow your Cottonwood business, you need a great marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Billboard Advertising Costs is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Cottonwood, 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 Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood, Arizona

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

• Resources for Cottonwood, Arizona Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cottonwood entrepreneurs.
• Arizona Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Arizona.
• Arizona Small Business Development Center - Arizona’s Small Business Development Center Network is an innovative partnership between the state’s ten community college districts and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The network is the largest and most accessible source of assistance to Arizona businesses with fewer than 200 employees.
• Cottonwood, Arizona Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cottonwood, Arizona newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cottonwood area.
• Cottonwood, Arizona Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Cottonwood, Arizona area radio stations.

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