Are you starting a business in Moscow, Idaho? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Moscow.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
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:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Moscow. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, 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 a Chefs Employment Agencies Business guide or our Opening a Trailers Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Moscow. Some businesses will do better in Moscow than others. A critical consideration is whether Moscow demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Moscow, Idaho Demographic Information
Moscow has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Moscow demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Moscow.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
4770 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2535 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1470 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1020 |
| 50-99 Employees |
150 |
| 100-249 Employees |
105 |
| 250-499 Employees |
15 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Moscow Businesses |
10065 |
As a new Moscow entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Moscow 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
7 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
4 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
20 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
3 |
| Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
19 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
4 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
7 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
15 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
21 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
8 |
| Software Publishers |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
4 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
Forming a Company in Moscow, Idaho
A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating 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 Idaho, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Idaho. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
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 Why Incorporate in Delaware. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Moscow, Idaho, our information on Incorporating in Idaho may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Idaho.
Building Up Your Sales
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Moscow business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Sales Training is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Moscow, Idaho, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Idaho universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Moscow entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Moving Forward
Most new Moscow businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Moscow and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Moscow, Idaho
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Moscow.
- Resources for Moscow, Idaho Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Moscow entrepreneurs.
- Idaho Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Idaho.
- Idaho Small Business Development Center - The Idaho Small Business Development Center (Idaho SBDC) is a university-based organization offering a wealth of free and low-cost services to help small businesses and entrepreneurs be successful.
- Moscow, Idaho Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Moscow, Idaho newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Moscow area.
- Moscow, Idaho Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Moscow, Idaho area radio stations.
- Moscow, Idaho Payroll Services - This list includes Moscow, Idaho payroll services, national payroll services for Moscow, and helpful information on choosing a Moscow payroll service.
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