Alaska Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Sitka, Alaska
Are you starting a business in Sitka, Alaska? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Sitka.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most startup businesses 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.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Sitka. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Child Care Information & Referral Services Business guide or our How to Start a Video Arcade guide.
Remember that starting a business in Sitka has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Sitka. Only by spending some time analyzing Sitka demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Sitka, Alaska Demographic Information
Sitka has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Sitka demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Sitka.
Businesses
As a new Sitka entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sitka 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.
Businesses
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Creating a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Alaska.
How to Sell
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Sitka business to do well.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Compensating Sales People is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Sitka, Alaska, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Alaska universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Sitka entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Next Steps
Most new Sitka businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Sitka businesses to be successful. 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 Sitka, Alaska
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Sitka.
- Resources for Sitka, Alaska Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Sitka entrepreneurs.
- Alaska Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Alaska.
- Alaska Small Business Development Center - The Alaska Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the University of Alaska and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, has assisted businesses by providing free, confidential technical business assistance and low-cost business training in Alaska for twenty years.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Alaska
Starting a Business in Petersburg
Starting a Business in Skagway
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Alaska
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs