Are you starting a business in Pasco, Washington? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Pasco.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Pasco. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 Starting a Cylinders Rebuilding & Repairing Business guide or our Starting a Scanning Services Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Pasco has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Pasco than others. Study Pasco demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Pasco, Washington Demographic Information
Pasco has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Pasco demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Pasco.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1758 |
| 5-9 Employees |
776 |
| 10-19 Employees |
453 |
| 20-49 Employees |
309 |
| 50-99 Employees |
81 |
| 100-249 Employees |
27 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Pasco Businesses |
3419 |
As a new Pasco entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pasco 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 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
3 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
11 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
3 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cement Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
24 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
6 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine |
2 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
5 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
6 |
| Electrical Contractors |
19 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
5 |
| Engineering Services |
9 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
8 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
5 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
11 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
30 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
22 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
10 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
4 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
9 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
3 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
9 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
17 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
7 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mixed Mode Transit Systems |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
4 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
8 |
| Offices of Dentists |
13 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
10 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
8 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
1 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
7 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
3 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
6 |
| Savings Institutions |
4 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
9 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
4 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Spice and Extract Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Taxi Service |
2 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
2 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
9 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wineries |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Pasco, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Questions to Ask Franchisors. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Pathetic Medic and Cash Plus, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Franchises that Serve Liquor and Hair Styling Franchises.
Note on Pasco Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Pasco.
Company Formation in Pasco, Washington
It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Washington, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Washington. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Pasco, Washington, our information on Incorporating in Washington may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Washington.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital 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. Failure to write 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 can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Washington.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Pasco. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Pasco 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 Pasco, Washington
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Pasco.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Washington
Starting a Business in Othello
Starting a Business in Pomeroy
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Washington
