Thinking about starting a business in Riverton, Wyoming? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Riverton.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
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 Riverton. 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.
Riverton, Wyoming Demographic Information
Riverton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Riverton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Riverton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
8099 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3234 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1617 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1071 |
| 50-99 Employees |
315 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
42 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Riverton Businesses |
14399 |
As a new Riverton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Riverton 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
3 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
2 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
6 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
9 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
8 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
7 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Hunting and Trapping |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
12 |
| Internet Service Providers |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
2 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
11 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
6 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
15 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
7 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Coal Mining |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Uranium-Radium-Vanadium Ore Mining |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Choosing a Company Name
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
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: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Riverton, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Wyoming business.
Company Formation in Riverton, Wyoming
It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Wyoming, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Wyoming. As it turns out, 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 ESOP Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Riverton, Wyoming, our web page covering Incorporating in Wyoming may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wyoming.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Wyoming.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Successful business owners know that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Riverton, Wyoming, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Wyoming universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Riverton networking organizations.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Riverton, 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Riverton 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 Riverton, Wyoming
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Riverton.
- Resources for Riverton, Wyoming Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Riverton entrepreneurs.
- Wyoming Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wyoming.
- Wyoming Small Business Development Center - The Wyoming Small Business Development Center provides free and confidential consulting services to individual businesses, offers various products online of specific use to various businesses, sponsors affordable educational programs targeted at the small business community, and maintains links with various business resources throughout Wyoming and the nation.
- Riverton, Wyoming Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Riverton, Wyoming newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Riverton area.
- Riverton, Wyoming Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Riverton, Wyoming area radio stations.
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