Maryland Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Oakland, Maryland
Are you starting a business in Oakland, Maryland? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Oakland.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 an Awnings, Canopies, & Shade Structures Commercial & Industrial Business guide or our How to Start a Geothermal Drilling & Exploration Business guide.
Always keep in mind that Oakland is the place where you are starting a business. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Oakland. Make sure you fully understand Oakland demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Oakland, Maryland Demographic Information
Oakland has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Oakland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Oakland.
Businesses
As a new Oakland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Oakland 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
Selecting a Name For Your Business
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Oakland, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Maryland business.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Creating a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan
To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Maryland.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Oakland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.
You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. E-Mail Marketing is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Oakland, Maryland, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Maryland educational institutions. You should also check if there are any Oakland networking organizations.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Oakland, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Oakland businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Oakland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Oakland, Maryland
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Oakland.
- Resources for Oakland, Maryland Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Oakland entrepreneurs.
- Maryland Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maryland.
- Maryland Small Business Development Center - The Maryland Small Business Development Center Network has six regional offices and more than 20 locations where Maryland entrepreneurs can receive comprehensive, resources and relevant assistance.
More Business Startup Guides for Maryland
Starting a Business in North Beach
Starting a Business in Ocean City
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Maryland
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs