Contemplating starting a business in Oak Harbor, Washington? We walk you through the process of opening a 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.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2366 |
| 5-9 Employees |
900 |
| 10-19 Employees |
606 |
| 20-49 Employees |
324 |
| 50-99 Employees |
72 |
| 100-249 Employees |
18 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Oak Harbor Businesses |
4286 |
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.
| Business Type |
# of
Businesses |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
3 |
| Book Stores |
4 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
5 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
5 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
4 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
2 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Electronic Auctions |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
7 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finfish Fishing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
6 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
7 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
22 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
15 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
8 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
4 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
20 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marinas |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
17 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
9 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Repossession Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
13 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
4 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Seafood Canning |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
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.
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