Contemplating starting a business in Montrose, Colorado? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Montrose.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.
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 How to Start an Auto Salvage Yard guide or our How to Start a Scrimshaw Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Montrose has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Montrose. Make sure you fully understand Montrose demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Montrose, Colorado Demographic Information
Montrose has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Montrose demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Montrose.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
26741 |
| 5-9 Employees |
8151 |
| 10-19 Employees |
5382 |
| 20-49 Employees |
3003 |
| 50-99 Employees |
936 |
| 100-249 Employees |
78 |
| 250-499 Employees |
78 |
| 500-999 Employees |
78 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Montrose Businesses |
44447 |
As a new Montrose entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Montrose 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 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
5 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
9 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
5 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
5 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Couriers |
3 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
4 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
9 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
27 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
12 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
13 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
5 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
8 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
12 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
4 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
5 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
20 |
| Internet Service Providers |
3 |
| Investment Advice |
4 |
| Janitorial Services |
9 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
13 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
19 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
4 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
7 |
| Masonry Contractors |
10 |
| Media Representatives |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
5 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
11 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
24 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Roofing Contractors |
5 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Sawmills |
2 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
3 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
12 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
4 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Textile Bag Mills |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
4 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
4 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
4 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Business
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.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Montrose, it's very important that you make sure no other Colorado company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Montrose, Colorado
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Colorado, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Colorado. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Montrose, Colorado, our information on Incorporating in Colorado may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Colorado.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Colorado.
Ramping Up Sales
Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Montrose or are selling to customers throughout Colorado, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Closing Sales Techniques offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Montrose. 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.
We are here to help Montrose businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Montrose, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Montrose, Colorado
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Montrose.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Colorado
Starting a Business in Monte Vista
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