Start a Business in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Pagosa Springs. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Pagosa Springs, Colorado Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1080
5-9 Employees	255
10-19 Employees	153
20-49 Employees	63
50-99 Employees	9
100-249 Employees	0
250-499 Employees	3
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Pagosa Springs Businesses	1563

As a new Pagosa Springs entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pagosa Springs 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
Architectural Services	2
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	6
Book Publishers	1
Book Stores	1
Business Associations	4
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	2
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Convenience Stores	2
Couriers	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Digital Printing	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	6
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	9
Electronic Connector Manufacturing	1
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	1
Family Clothing Stores	5
Finish Carpentry Contractors	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	3
Framing Contractors	7
Full-Service Restaurants	21
General Automotive Repair	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	9
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	12
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	6
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	3
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Recreational Goods Rental	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	3
Retail Bakeries	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Rooming and Boarding Houses	1
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Shoe Stores	1
Site Preparation Contractors	8
Skiing Facilities	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Sporting Goods Stores	5
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	5
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	4
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1
Yarn Spinning Mills	1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens	1

Choosing a Company Name

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Pagosa Springs, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Colorado business.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Pagosa Springs customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Telemarketing Service Costs discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Pagosa Springs business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Colorado universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Pagosa Springs networking organizations.

Moving Forward

Most new Pagosa Springs businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Pagosa Springs businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Pagosa Springs 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 Pagosa Springs, Colorado

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

• Resources for Pagosa Springs, Colorado Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Pagosa Springs entrepreneurs.
• Colorado Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Colorado.
• Colorado Small Business Development Center - The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is dedicated to helping small businesses throughout Colorado achieve their goals by providing free confidential counseling and various training programs.
• Pagosa Springs, Colorado Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Pagosa Springs, Colorado newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Pagosa Springs area.
• Pagosa Springs, Colorado Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Pagosa Springs, Colorado area radio stations.

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