Opening a Business in Dillon, Montana

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Running your own business is hard work, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Dillon. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.

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 How to Start a Musical Instruments Amplifier Repair Business guide or our Starting a Shoe Stores Equipment & Supplies Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Dillon. Some businesses will do better in Dillon than others. Study Dillon demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Dillon, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1836
5-9 Employees	639
10-19 Employees	333
20-49 Employees	135
50-99 Employees	27
100-249 Employees	9
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Dillon Businesses	2979

As a new Dillon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dillon 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	2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Art Dealers	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Credit Unions	1
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine	1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	7
Electric Power Distribution	3
Electrical Contractors	6
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	3
Full-Service Restaurants	10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	2
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Home Centers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	7
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Logging	2
Luggage Manufacturing	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Meat Processed from Carcasses	1
Museums	1
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	6
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	9
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Rice Milling	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Satellite Telecommunications	1
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Small Arms Manufacturing	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	4
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	5
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Travel Agencies	2
Truss Manufacturing	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

What About Buying an Existing Dillon Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Montana. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Dillon.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Montana.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Dillon customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Pricing 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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Dillon, Montana, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Montana universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Dillon networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Dillon and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Dillon, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Dillon, Montana

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

• Resources for Dillon, Montana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Dillon 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.
• Dillon, Montana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Dillon, Montana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Dillon area.
• Dillon, Montana Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Dillon, Montana area radio stations.

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