Starting a Business in Durant, Oklahoma

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

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 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 Starting an Elderly & Handicapped Apartments Business guide or our Starting a Piano Tuning, Repair, & Refinishing Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Durant has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Durant than others. Make sure you fully understand Durant demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Durant, Oklahoma Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2646
5-9 Employees	1116
10-19 Employees	540
20-49 Employees	459
50-99 Employees	117
100-249 Employees	72
250-499 Employees	54
500-999 Employees	9
1000+ Employees	9
All Durant Businesses	5022

As a new Durant entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Durant 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	3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Beauty Salons	1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Book Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	2
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	3
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	9
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Community Food Services	2
Computer and Software Stores	3
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Consumer Lending	10
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Credit Unions	1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Discount Department Stores	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	6
Employment Placement Agencies	2
Engineering Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	4
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Flat Glass Manufacturing	1
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Full-Service Restaurants	18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	6
General Automotive Repair	7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Care Services	6
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	14
Internet Service Providers	1
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscaping Services	1
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	16
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Media Buying Agencies	1
Media Representatives	1
Miscellaneous Intermediation	1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Museums	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	5
Office Administrative Services	6
Offices of Bank Holding Companies	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	10
Offices of Lawyers	19
Offices of Optometrists	6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paging	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing	1
Plate Work Manufacturing	1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	1
Professional Employer Organizations	2
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	4
Real Estate Credit	1
Recreational Goods Rental	1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage	2
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing	2
Residential Property Managers	4
Securities Brokerage	3
Shoe Stores	2
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Help Services	3
Temporary Shelters	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tire Dealers	3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Travel Agencies	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	5
Women's Clothing Stores	3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Durant Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Oklahoma. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Durant.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Choosing a Company Name

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.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Durant, it's imperative that you check now that no Oklahoma company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Company Formation in Durant, Oklahoma

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Oklahoma, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Oklahoma. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Durant, Oklahoma, our web page covering Incorporating in Oklahoma may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oklahoma.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Obtaining startup financing for your Durant 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.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Bank Credit Lines.

For Durant entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Oklahoma Angel Investors and our List of Oklahoma Venture Capital Firms.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

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

Given that you are starting a business in Durant, Oklahoma, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Oklahoma universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Durant networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Durant businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Durant and throughout the United States . 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 Durant, Oklahoma

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

• Resources for Durant, Oklahoma Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Durant entrepreneurs.
• Oklahoma Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oklahoma.
• Oklahoma Small Business Development Center - Whether you are in business or thinking about it, the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center staff can assist you. Their goal is to help Oklahoma entrepreneurs like you be more successful.
• Durant, Oklahoma Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Durant, Oklahoma newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Durant area.
• Durant, Oklahoma Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Durant, Oklahoma area radio stations.
• Durant, Oklahoma Payroll Services - This list includes Durant, Oklahoma payroll services, national payroll services for Durant, and helpful information on choosing a Durant payroll service.

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