Investigate the Competition

Prior to opening an independent church in your area, it's a smart move to see how you will fit in the competitive landscape. We've provided the link below to help you find competitors in your city. After clicking on the link, type in your city, state and zip code to get a list of independent churches near you.

• Locate Independent Churches Near You

How are you going to successfully complete with existing firms? It's important that you never underestimate the competition.

Find Good Remote Business Advice

If you are interested in starting an independent church, it's a smart move to have a conversation with someone who is in the business. If you think owners of nearby independent churches will give you advice, think again. Why would they want to educate a future competitor?

However, a fellow entrepreneur who has started an independent church in a location that is not competitive to you may be more than happy to give you a few tips, as long as they don't view you as a competitive threat. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. In my experience, you may have to call ten business owners in order to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.

So, what can you do to find somebody who runs an independent church on the other side of the country to talk to?

Here's one way to do it. Just use our link below, find somebody and call them.

• Search for Independent Church Owners

Don't Rule Out Franchising

If you are launching your first business venture, you should consider going the franchising route.

Before opening an independent church, you would be wise to determine whether there are good franchise opportunities available that might make your life much easier.

The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.

• Franchising Lists