Nebraska Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in North Platte, Nebraska

Thinking about starting a business in North Platte, Nebraska? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in North Platte.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Running your own business is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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 North Platte. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

North Platte, Nebraska Demographic Information

North Platte has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for North Platte demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in North Platte.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1316
5-9 Employees
723
10-19 Employees
387
20-49 Employees
225
50-99 Employees
54
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All North Platte Businesses
2738

As a new North Platte entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in North Platte 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Architectural Services
3
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
12
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
9
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Couriers
4
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
9
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
6
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
15
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
4
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
6
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
24
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
3
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
9
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
2
Medical Laboratories
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Lawyers
25
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Passenger Car Rental
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Portfolio Management
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
4
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around North Platte, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Staffing a Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include The Original Basket Boutique and Furniture Medic L.P.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Retail Franchises and Frozen Yogurt Franchises.

Note on North Platte Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in North Platte.

Forming a Company in North Platte, Nebraska

It's essential 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 Nebraska, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Nebraska. 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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in North Platte, Nebraska, our information on Incorporating in Nebraska may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Nebraska.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your North Platte business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. National TV Spot Advertising Rates is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in North Platte, Nebraska, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Nebraska universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for North Platte entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in North Platte, 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 North Platte businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new North Platte 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 North Platte, Nebraska

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in North Platte.

More Startup Articles for Nebraska Cities

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Starting a Business in Oakland

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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