Contemplating starting a business in Silver City, New Mexico? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Silver City.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Most startup ventures do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur 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 Silver City. 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.
Silver City, New Mexico Demographic Information
Silver City has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Silver City demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Silver City.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3816 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1512 |
| 10-19 Employees |
804 |
| 20-49 Employees |
444 |
| 50-99 Employees |
84 |
| 100-249 Employees |
12 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
12 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Silver City Businesses |
6720 |
As a new Silver City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Silver City 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 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
5 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
5 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
7 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
12 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
4 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
4 |
| Museums |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
9 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
10 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
4 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
Getting Money to Start a Business
Obtaining startup financing for your Silver City business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.
For Silver City entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of New Mexico Angel Investors and our List of New Mexico Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Silver City customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Introduction to Advertising 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.
The Art of Selling
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Silver City business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
The Art of Customer Referrals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Silver City, New Mexico, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby New Mexico universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking organizations for Silver City entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
Most new Silver City businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Silver City and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Silver City 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 Silver City, New Mexico
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Silver City.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in New Mexico
Starting a Business in Santa Rosa
Starting a Business in Socorro
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for New Mexico
