Washington Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Oak Harbor, Washington
Thinking about starting a business in Oak Harbor, Washington? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Oak Harbor.
Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?
An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to go into business for yourself?
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Oak Harbor. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- 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.
Oak Harbor, Washington Demographic Information
Oak Harbor has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Oak Harbor demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Oak Harbor.
Businesses
As a new Oak Harbor entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Oak Harbor 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Oak Harbor Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Washington. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Oak Harbor.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
The Role of the Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. 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 should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Washington.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Oak Harbor business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Oak Harbor entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Successful business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Oak Harbor, Washington, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Washington educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Oak Harbor networking organizations.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Oak Harbor, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Oak Harbor 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 Oak Harbor, Washington
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Oak Harbor.
- Resources for Oak Harbor, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Oak Harbor entrepreneurs.
- Washington Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Washington.
- Washington Small Business Development Center - Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to Washington entrepreneurs and existing Washington businesses.
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