Montana Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Bigfork, Montana

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

Bigfork, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1692
5-9 Employees
330
10-19 Employees
180
20-49 Employees
72
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Bigfork Businesses
2286

As a new Bigfork entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bigfork 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Architectural Services
3
Art Dealers
7
Beauty Salons
2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Breweries
1
Business Associations
2
Child Day Care Services
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Photography
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
2
Full-Service Restaurants
20
General Automotive Repair
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
3
Libraries and Archives
1
Logging
8
Machine Shops
1
Marinas
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Payroll Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
5
Retail Bakeries
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
12
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Bigfork businesses and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Zizzos Coffee and Hawthorn Suites. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Dry Cleaning & Laundry Franchises and Kid Friendly Franchises.

Note on Bigfork Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bigfork.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Bigfork Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Montana. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Bigfork.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Bigfork, it's very important that you make sure no other Montana company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Bigfork, Montana

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Montana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Montana. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Bigfork, Montana, our information on Incorporating in Montana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Montana.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bigfork or are selling to customers throughout Montana, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Bigfork, Montana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Montana educational institutions. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Bigfork entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Bigfork and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bigfork, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bigfork, Montana

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

More Business Startup Guides for Montana

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Starting a Business in Billings

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