Oregon Business Startup Guides

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.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
51120
5-9 Employees
19350
10-19 Employees
13185
20-49 Employees
9360
50-99 Employees
3105
100-249 Employees
2295
250-499 Employees
675
500-999 Employees
135
1000+ Employees
225
All Hillsboro Businesses
99450

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.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Aircraft Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
3
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
24
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Publishers
3
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
4
Business Associations
3
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
6
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
16
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
2
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
18
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
7
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Discount Department Stores
1
Document Preparation Services
3
Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing
1
Drafting Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
12
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
2
Electronic Shopping
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
9
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
17
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
10
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
11
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
12
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Service Contractors
14
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
11
General Automotive Repair
27
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
5
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
3
HMO Medical Centers
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
12
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
33
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
30
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
43
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
72
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
6
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
4
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
11
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
13
Offices of Dentists
44
Offices of Lawyers
44
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
23
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
2
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
6
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
5
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
3
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
12
Residential Remodelers
21
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
4
Roofing Contractors
14
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Savings Institutions
4
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
3
Site Preparation Contractors
18
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Software Publishers
14
Solid Waste Collection
4
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Spring (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
23
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
6
Tire Retreading
1
Tobacco Stores
3
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
6
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
7
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
10
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
4
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
17
Wineries
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Wood Preservation
1

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.

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