Starting a Business in Hillsboro, Oregon

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

Hillsboro, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

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

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Hillsboro, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include 21 Minute Convenience Fitness and Children's Lighthouse Learning Centers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Business Services Franchises and Pet Franchises.

Note on Hillsboro Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Hillsboro, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

What About Buying an Existing Hillsboro Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Oregon. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Hillsboro.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Picking a Business Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Hillsboro, it's critical that you ensure that no other Oregon company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Hillsboro customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising in Magazines is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro businesses to be successful. 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 Hillsboro, Oregon

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

• Resources for Hillsboro, Oregon Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hillsboro 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.
• Hillsboro, Oregon Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hillsboro, Oregon newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hillsboro area.
• Hillsboro, Oregon Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Hillsboro, Oregon area radio stations.
• Hillsboro, Oregon Payroll Services - This list includes Hillsboro, Oregon payroll services, national payroll services for Hillsboro, and helpful information on choosing a Hillsboro payroll service.
• Hillsboro, Oregon Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Hillsboro, Oregon, such as business brokers in Hillsboro and other helpful information on how to buy a Hillsboro business.