Opening a Business in Ferndale, Washington

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to start a business?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ferndale. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Ferndale, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	5346
5-9 Employees	1584
10-19 Employees	864
20-49 Employees	648
50-99 Employees	180
100-249 Employees	126
250-499 Employees	54
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Ferndale Businesses	8802

As a new Ferndale entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ferndale 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
Advertising Agencies	1
Ambulance Services	1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	1
Architectural Services	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Boat Building	3
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Canvas and Related Product Mills	1
Carpet and Rug Mills	1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	2
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	8
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Commercial Bakeries	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Consumer Lending	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	1
Credit Unions	4
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	2
Dental Laboratories	2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	5
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Engineering Services	6
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending	1
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing	1
Finfish Fishing	4
Finish Carpentry Contractors	7
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	5
Flooring Contractors	4
Florists	1
Flour Milling	1
Framing Contractors	3
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	2
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	3
Hardware Stores	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	2
Homes for the Elderly	7
Household Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturing	1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Janitorial Services	7
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	9
Limited-Service Restaurants	7
Machine Shops	2
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing	1
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Office Administrative Services	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	8
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	4
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Petroleum Refineries	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Primary Aluminum Production	1
Real Estate Investment Trusts	1
Residential Property Managers	3
Residential Remodelers	7
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	3
Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills	1
Sales Financing	1
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	5
Solid Waste Collection	2
Sound Recording Studios	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Steel Foundries (except Investment)	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	2
Travel Agencies	1
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing	2
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1
Wood Preservation	1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Ferndale, 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 look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Growth Trends in Franchising. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include California Quivers and Kidzone Party and Play Place. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Fitness Franchises and Insurance Franchises.

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

Selecting a Name For Your 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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Ferndale, it's critical that you ensure that no Washington company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Free Business Plan Templates. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Washington.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Obtaining startup financing for your Ferndale business is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Ferndale entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Ferndale, 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 Ferndale 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 Ferndale, Washington

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

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

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