Are you starting a business in Mercer Island, Washington? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Mercer Island.
Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?
Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Mercer Island. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Chiropractic Clinics Business guide or our Starting a Fuel Distributors Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Mercer Island has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Mercer Island than others. Make sure you fully understand Mercer Island demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Mercer Island, Washington Demographic Information
Mercer Island has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Mercer Island demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Mercer Island.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1350 |
| 5-9 Employees |
369 |
| 10-19 Employees |
180 |
| 20-49 Employees |
105 |
| 50-99 Employees |
39 |
| 100-249 Employees |
18 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Mercer Island Businesses |
2064 |
As a new Mercer Island entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mercer Island 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 |
3 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Art Dealers |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
12 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
10 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
5 |
| Electrical Contractors |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
4 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
5 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| General Automotive Repair |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
21 |
| Interior Design Services |
6 |
| Investment Advice |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
5 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
7 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
10 |
| Media Buying Agencies |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
4 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
5 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
5 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
19 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
19 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
2 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
5 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
14 |
| Residential Remodelers |
18 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
8 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
8 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Is Buying an Existing Mercer Island Business a Good Strategy?
We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Washington. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Mercer Island.
If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
Promoting Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Mercer Island 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. How to Market to Accountants and CPAs is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Mercer Island, Washington, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Washington universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Mercer Island networking organizations.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Mercer Island. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Mercer Island businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Mercer Island entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mercer Island, Washington
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Mercer Island.
More Business Startup Guides for Washington
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Starting a Business in Mill Creek
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