Are you starting a business in Pocatello, Idaho? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Pocatello.
Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
Pocatello has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Pocatello demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Pocatello.
As a new Pocatello entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pocatello 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
3 |
| Air Traffic Control |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
8 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
16 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
4 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
5 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
17 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
6 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Breweries |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
6 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
7 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
20 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
12 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
3 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
7 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
3 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
4 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
12 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
6 |
| Dental Laboratories |
4 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
3 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
2 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
20 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
6 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
17 |
| Electronic Auctions |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
23 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
10 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
6 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
6 |
| Fluid Milk Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Framing Contractors |
4 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
49 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
26 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
6 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
8 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
6 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
9 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
8 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
2 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
32 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
6 |
| Janitorial Services |
17 |
| Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
7 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
11 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
56 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
3 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
4 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Malt Manufacturing |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
5 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
2 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
5 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
6 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
5 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
12 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
10 |
| Offices of Dentists |
38 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
35 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
6 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
7 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
12 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
4 |
| Periodical Publishers |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
12 |
| Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil |
1 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
6 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
12 |
| Residential Remodelers |
12 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
6 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
12 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
10 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
12 |
| Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
12 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
10 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
5 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
3 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
2 |
| Television Broadcasting |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
5 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
5 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
7 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
8 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
7 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
10 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
7 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Browse the Yellow Pages for Pocatello and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Writing a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
Whether your goal is to attract Pocatello customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
As an entrepreneur in Pocatello, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Pocatello businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Pocatello, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Pocatello.
