Start a Business in Ellensburg, Washington

Are you starting a business in Ellensburg, Washington? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Ellensburg.

What Business Are You Starting?

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 Good 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 Osteoporosis Information & Referral Services Business guide or our How to Start a Dog Sledding Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Ellensburg. Some businesses will do better in Ellensburg than others. Don't forget to review Ellensburg demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Ellensburg, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1238
5-9 Employees	476
10-19 Employees	291
20-49 Employees	141
50-99 Employees	57
100-249 Employees	6
250-499 Employees	6
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Ellensburg Businesses	2215

As a new Ellensburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ellensburg 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	1
Art Dealers	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	11
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Boat Dealers	2
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	11
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Collection Agencies	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	2
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Convenience Stores	2
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	2
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Discount Department Stores	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	6
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	9
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	6
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finfish Fishing	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	5
Flight Training	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Framing Contractors	4
Freight Transportation Arrangement	3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	24
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	1
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Homes for the Elderly	2
Human Rights Organizations	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	10
Internet Service Providers	2
Janitorial Services	8
Jewelry Stores	3
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	13
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	21
Logging	7
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores	2
Mail-Order Houses	1
Masonry Contractors	3
Materials Recovery Facilities	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	4
Musical Groups and Artists	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	6
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	9
Offices of Lawyers	12
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Professional Organizations	1
Public Relations Agencies	2
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Property Managers	6
Residential Remodelers	5
Roofing Contractors	4
Rooming and Boarding Houses	1
Savings Institutions	3
Securities Brokerage	5
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	9
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	4
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	3
Travel Agencies	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	7
Veterinary Services	7
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	5
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Picking a Business Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Ellensburg, it's critical that you ensure that no other Washington company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Washington.

Marketing Your New Startup

To grow your Ellensburg business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. When to Get a Toll Free Number is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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

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

Now It's Up To You

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Ellensburg and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ellensburg, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ellensburg, Washington

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

• Resources for Ellensburg, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ellensburg entrepreneurs.
• Washington Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Washington.
• Washington Small Business Development Center - Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to Washington entrepreneurs and existing Washington businesses.
• Ellensburg, Washington Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ellensburg, Washington newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ellensburg area.
• Ellensburg, Washington Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Ellensburg, Washington area radio stations.

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