Are you starting a business in Hamilton, Montana? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Hamilton.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Hamilton. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Hamilton, Montana Demographic Information
Hamilton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hamilton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hamilton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
18660 |
| 5-9 Employees |
6030 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3015 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1665 |
| 50-99 Employees |
225 |
| 100-249 Employees |
180 |
| 250-499 Employees |
45 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Hamilton Businesses |
29820 |
As a new Hamilton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hamilton 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 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
3 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
2 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Breweries |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Casinos (except Casino Hotels) |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
4 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coffee and Tea Manufacturing |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
4 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
19 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
12 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
6 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Logging |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
17 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
3 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Small Arms Manufacturing |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
4 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
6 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
9 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
Visit the business district of Hamilton and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Staffing a Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include New England Hot Dog Company and Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bookstore Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.
Note on Hamilton Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Hamilton.
Picking a Company 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.
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.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Hamilton, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Montana business.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Hamilton and grow your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Introduction to Advertising is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Hamilton business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Sales Prospecting offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Hamilton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Hamilton, Montana
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hamilton.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Montana
Starting a Business in Great Falls
Starting a Business in Hardin
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Montana
Starting a Business
Guides for Other States
