Thinking about starting a business in Idabel, Oklahoma? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Idabel.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Idabel. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Good Business Ideas.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Apartment Hotel guide or our How to Start a Political Educators & Consultants Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Idabel. Some businesses will do better in Idabel than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Idabel demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Idabel, Oklahoma Demographic Information
Idabel has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Idabel demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Idabel.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
323 |
| 5-9 Employees |
177 |
| 10-19 Employees |
105 |
| 20-49 Employees |
51 |
| 50-99 Employees |
21 |
| 100-249 Employees |
6 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Idabel Businesses |
689 |
As a new Idabel entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Idabel 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 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
|
Beauty Salons |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
|
Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
|
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
|
Florists |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
4 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
|
Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
6 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
9 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
|
Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
1 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
6 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
|
Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Sawmills |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
|
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
|
Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Is Buying an Existing Idabel Business a Good Strategy?
We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Oklahoma. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Idabel.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Outsourcing. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Oklahoma.
Marketing Your New Venture
To grow your Idabel business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.
We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Holiday-Powered Marketing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Idabel. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Idabel and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Idabel, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Idabel, Oklahoma
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Idabel.
- Resources for Idabel, Oklahoma Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Idabel entrepreneurs.
- Oklahoma Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oklahoma.
- Oklahoma Small Business Development Center - Whether you are in business or thinking about it, the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center staff can assist you. Their goal is to help Oklahoma entrepreneurs like you be more successful.
- Idabel, Oklahoma Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Idabel, Oklahoma newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Idabel area.
- Idabel, Oklahoma Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Idabel, Oklahoma area radio stations.
- Idabel, Oklahoma Payroll Services - This list includes Idabel, Oklahoma payroll services, national payroll services for Idabel, and helpful information on choosing a Idabel payroll service.
- Idabel, Oklahoma Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Idabel, Oklahoma, such as business brokers in Idabel and other helpful information on how to buy a Idabel business.
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