Oklahoma Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Are you starting a business in Stillwater, Oklahoma? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Stillwater.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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 Stillwater. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Stillwater, Oklahoma Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
7624
5-9 Employees
3332
10-19 Employees
1716
20-49 Employees
1536
50-99 Employees
408
100-249 Employees
192
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
0
All Stillwater Businesses
14892

As a new Stillwater entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Stillwater 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
Air Traffic Control
1
Alumina Refining
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
12
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
16
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
9
Convenience Stores
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
6
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
16
Electronic Shopping
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
8
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
9
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
39
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
12
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
35
Internet Service Providers
3
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
30
Locksmiths
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
5
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
23
Offices of Lawyers
25
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
4
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
5
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Rooming and Boarding Houses
18
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
2
Sawmills
2
Securities Brokerage
6
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
2
Software Publishers
2
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
4

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Stillwater, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Super Wash, Inc. and Different Twist Pretzel Company. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and IT Franchises.

Note on Stillwater Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Stillwater, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

What About Buying an Existing Stillwater Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Oklahoma. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Stillwater.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Choosing 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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Stillwater, it's very important that you make sure no other Oklahoma company is using the business name you want to use.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Oklahoma universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Stillwater networking organizations.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Stillwater. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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 Stillwater 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 Stillwater, Oklahoma

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

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