Starting a Business in Fort Lewis, Washington

Contemplating starting a business in Fort Lewis, Washington? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Fort Lewis.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Fort Lewis. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Talk it over with a close friend or partner. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Fort Lewis, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Fort Lewis entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fort Lewis 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.

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Fort Lewis, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchise Versus Business Opportunity. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Cereality and Culver's. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Rental Franchises and Hotel and Motel Franchises.

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

Naming the 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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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 opening a business in Fort Lewis, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Washington business.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Fort Lewis business is not an easy task. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How Equity Dilution Works.

For Fort Lewis entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, browse our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To rise above the crowd in Fort Lewis and build your business, you need a great marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Making the Most of Trade Shows is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Fort Lewis, 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 Fort Lewis and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Fort Lewis, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Fort Lewis, Washington

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

• Resources for Fort Lewis, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Fort Lewis 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.
• Fort Lewis, Washington Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Fort Lewis, Washington newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Fort Lewis area.