Opening a Business in Port Townsend, Washington

Contemplating starting a business in Port Townsend, Washington? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Port Townsend.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 How to Start an Ornamental Aluminum Work Business guide or our Opening a Pet Burial Supplies Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Port Townsend. Some businesses will do better in Port Townsend than others. Make sure you fully understand Port Townsend demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Port Townsend, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1372
5-9 Employees	426
10-19 Employees	228
20-49 Employees	105
50-99 Employees	15
100-249 Employees	6
250-499 Employees	6
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Port Townsend Businesses	2158

As a new Port Townsend entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Port Townsend 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	6
Art Dealers	5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Boat Building	7
Boat Dealers	4
Book Publishers	3
Book Stores	4
Breweries	1
Business Associations	3
Canvas and Related Product Mills	3
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Cheese Manufacturing	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	6
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	2
Computer Systems Design Services	4
Computer Training	1
Convenience Stores	3
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)	1
Couriers	1
Credit Bureaus	1
Credit Unions	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drafting Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	4
Educational Support Services	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	5
Engineering Services	4
Environmental Consulting Services	3
Family Clothing Stores	2
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	5
Fish and Seafood Markets	2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	3
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Service Contractors	3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers	1
Framing Contractors	3
Full-Service Restaurants	29
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	4
Graphic Design Services	2
Hardware Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	4
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	8
Internet Service Providers	2
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	6
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	9
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	9
Logging	1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores	1
Machine Shops	2
Mail-Order Houses	5
Marinas	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Media Representatives	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	2
Musical Instrument Manufacturing	4
Navigational Services to Shipping	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	4
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	10
Offices of Lawyers	6
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	8
Periodical Publishers	4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Prepress Services	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Pulp Mills	1
Quick Printing	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	5
Roofing Contractors	3
Savings Institutions	2
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Shellfish Fishing	3
Ship Building and Repairing	3
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	6
Software Publishers	3
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	4
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	2
Travel Agencies	3
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wineries	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	4

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Port Townsend businesses and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Due Diligence. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include U-Save Auto Rental and Green Life Interiors. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Care Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Port Townsend Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Port Townsend.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Outsourcing. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Washington.

Selling Tips

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Port Townsend business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Sales Training offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Port Townsend, Washington, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Washington universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Port Townsend entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Port Townsend, 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Port Townsend and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Port Townsend, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Port Townsend, Washington

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

• Resources for Port Townsend, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Port Townsend entrepreneurs.
• Washington Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Washington.
• Washington Small Business Development Center - Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to Washington entrepreneurs and existing Washington businesses.
• Port Townsend, Washington Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Port Townsend, Washington newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Port Townsend area.

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