Are you starting a business in Forest Grove, Oregon? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Forest Grove.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Forest Grove. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Forest Grove, Oregon Demographic Information
Forest Grove has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Forest Grove demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Forest Grove.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
809 |
| 5-9 Employees |
276 |
| 10-19 Employees |
183 |
| 20-49 Employees |
87 |
| 50-99 Employees |
48 |
| 100-249 Employees |
18 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
6 |
| All Forest Grove Businesses |
1427 |
As a new Forest Grove entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Forest Grove 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 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bottled Water Manufacturing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
|
Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
|
Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
4 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| Couriers |
1 |
|
Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
|
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
4 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
2 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
|
Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
9 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
12 |
|
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
10 |
| Logging |
4 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
|
Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
|
Offices of Dentists |
15 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
3 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
|
Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
|
Residential Property Managers |
4 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
|
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
|
Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
|
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wineries |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
3 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Forest Grove Business?
We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Oregon. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Forest Grove.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.
Forming a Company in Forest Grove, Oregon
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Oregon, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Oregon. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Forest Grove, Oregon, our web page covering Incorporating in Oregon may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oregon.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Forest Grove, Oregon, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Oregon universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Forest Grove networking organizations.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Forest Grove, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Forest Grove businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Forest Grove entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Forest Grove, Oregon
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Forest Grove.
- Resources for Forest Grove, Oregon Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Forest Grove entrepreneurs.
- Oregon Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oregon.
- Oregon Small Business Development Center - Oregon Small Business Development Centers use a client-centered approach to deliver counseling, training, information and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management. There is no fee for their assistance.
- Forest Grove, Oregon Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Forest Grove, Oregon newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Forest Grove area.
- Forest Grove, Oregon Payroll Services - This list includes Forest Grove, Oregon payroll services, national payroll services for Forest Grove, and helpful information on choosing a Forest Grove payroll service.
- Forest Grove, Oregon Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Forest Grove, Oregon, such as business brokers in Forest Grove and other helpful information on how to buy a Forest Grove business.
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