Opening a Business in Silverton, Oregon

Contemplating starting a business in Silverton, Oregon? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Silverton.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you are ready to take on this challenge?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Silverton. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 How to Start an Electronic Mail Services Business guide or our How to Start a Medical Equipment & Supplies Rental & Leasing Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Silverton. Some businesses will do better in Silverton than others. Study Silverton demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Silverton, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2984
5-9 Employees	960
10-19 Employees	468
20-49 Employees	216
50-99 Employees	60
100-249 Employees	12
250-499 Employees	36
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Silverton Businesses	4736

As a new Silverton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Silverton 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
Apprenticeship Training	1
Architectural Services	3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	4
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Screen Printing	2
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Document Preparation Services	2
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	3
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Flight Training	1
Florists	2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	1
Framing Contractors	3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	2
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	10
Iron Foundries	1
Janitorial Services	4
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscaping Services	9
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	4
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Logging	6
Machine Shops	2
Masonry Contractors	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	4
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	4
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	10
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Public Relations Agencies	2
Quick Printing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	8
Sales Financing	1
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Siding Contractors	10
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Tax Preparation Services	1
Timber Tract Operations	1
Tire Dealers	1
Tradebinding and Related Work	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Picking a Company Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Silverton, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Oregon company using the business name you have chosen.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Outsourcing. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.

Promoting Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Silverton customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising on Google is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Silverton, Oregon, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Oregon universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Silverton entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Silverton, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Silverton and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Silverton 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 Silverton, Oregon

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

• Resources for Silverton, Oregon Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Silverton entrepreneurs.
• Oregon Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Oregon.
• Oregon Small Business Development Center - Oregon Small Business Development Centers use a client-centered approach to deliver counseling, training, information and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management. There is no fee for their assistance.
• Silverton, Oregon Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Silverton, Oregon newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Silverton area.

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