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.

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	13872
5-9 Employees	5610
10-19 Employees	3672
20-49 Employees	1734
50-99 Employees	612
100-249 Employees	306
250-499 Employees	153
500-999 Employees	51
1000+ Employees	0
All Oakland Businesses	26010

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.

Business Type	# of Businesses
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	8
Beauty Salons	8
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining	2
Boat Building	1
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	2
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	2
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child Day Care Services	10
Civic and Social Organizations	5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Convenience Stores	3
Credit Unions	1
Curtain and Drapery Mills	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	3
Family Clothing Stores	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	3
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	10
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Stores	2
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Industrial Building Construction	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Interior Design Services	2
Janitorial Services	3
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	9
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	11
Logging	7
Machine Shops	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	3
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	6
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Portfolio Management	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	2
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	21
Retail Bakeries	1
Sawmills	4
School and Employee Bus Transportation	2
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	9
Skiing Facilities	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Software Publishers	1
Solid Waste Collection	2
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Support Activities for Coal Mining	3
Tax Preparation Services	2
Temporary Shelters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	5
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

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.
• Oakland, Maryland Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Oakland, Maryland newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Oakland area.

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