Colorado Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Boulder, Colorado

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Lamp Shade Machinery Business guide or our How to Start a Racquetball, Handball, & Squash Courts Construction Business guide.

Remember that your new business will be in Boulder. Some businesses will do better in Boulder than others. Don't forget to review Boulder demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Boulder, Colorado Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
43448
5-9 Employees
11880
10-19 Employees
7620
20-49 Employees
5208
50-99 Employees
1812
100-249 Employees
960
250-499 Employees
180
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
60
All Boulder Businesses
71204

As a new Boulder entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Boulder 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
9
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
89
Art Dealers
6
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
5
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
15
Baked Goods Stores
4
Barber Shops
4
Beauty Salons
51
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
25
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
10
Book Stores
13
Books Printing
2
Breweries
2
Building Inspection Services
4
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
14
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
12
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
44
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
6
Civic and Social Organizations
13
Claims Adjusting
1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
5
Collection Agencies
5
Commercial Gravure Printing
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
8
Commercial Photography
5
Commercial Screen Printing
6
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
4
Computer and Software Stores
8
Computer Storage Device Manufacturing
5
Computer Systems Design Services
118
Computer Training
5
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
8
Couriers
6
Credit Unions
12
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
128
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Digital Printing
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
6
Document Preparation Services
5
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drafting Services
3
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
17
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Educational Support Services
8
Electrical Contractors
28
Electron Tube Manufacturing
1
Electronic Auctions
1
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
3
Electronic Shopping
20
Elementary and Secondary Schools
18
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
117
Environmental Consulting Services
41
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
10
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
14
Family Planning Centers
3
Fine Arts Schools
15
Finish Carpentry Contractors
23
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
29
Flight Training
3
Floor Covering Stores
12
Flooring Contractors
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
9
Food Service Contractors
12
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
4
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
7
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
147
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
6
Furniture Stores
18
General Automotive Repair
61
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
24
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Gold Ore Mining
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
20
Graphic Design Services
35
Greeting Card Publishers
5
Hardware Stores
4
Historical Sites
1
HMO Medical Centers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
9
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
6
Home Health Care Services
8
Homes for the Elderly
8
Human Rights Organizations
5
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
89
Interior Design Services
20
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
9
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
29
Janitorial Services
31
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
2
Jewelry Stores
20
Junior Colleges
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
13
Landscaping Services
57
Language Schools
5
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
7
Libraries and Archives
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
108
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
4
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
10
Mail-Order Houses
20
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
53
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
2
Men's and Boys' Neckwear Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
19
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
24
Motion Picture and Video Production
18
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
3
Music Publishers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
5
Nail Salons
4
Narrow Fabric Mills
1
New Car Dealers
12
New Housing Operative Builders
7
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
10
Nonresidential Property Managers
19
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
28
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
8
Office Machinery Manufacturing
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
9
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
69
Offices of Dentists
104
Offices of Lawyers
207
Offices of Optometrists
16
Offices of Other Holding Companies
7
Offices of Podiatrists
7
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
17
One-Hour Photofinishing
6
Optical Goods Stores
10
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Outerwear Knitting Mills
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
22
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
19
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
11
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
8
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
11
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
20
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Prepress Services
4
Private Mail Centers
8
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
16
Quick Printing
10
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
27
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
32
Residential Remodelers
61
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Rooming and Boarding Houses
11
Sales Financing
6
Savings Institutions
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
39
Security Guards and Patrol Services
5
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sign Manufacturing
7
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
45
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
33
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
5
Specialty Canning
1
Sporting Goods Stores
42
Sports and Recreation Instruction
25
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
9
Telecommunications Resellers
4
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
4
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
26
Temporary Shelters
4
Testing Laboratories
8
Textile Bag Mills
4
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
10
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
5
Tobacco Stores
6
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
7
Translation and Interpretation Services
9
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
17
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
24
Video Tape and Disc Rental
9
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
42
Window Treatment Stores
3
Wineries
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
17
Women's Clothing Stores
26
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
3

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

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.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Boulder, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only Colorado company using the business name you have chosen.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Colorado.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Boulder business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising on Google discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

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

With your business being located in Boulder, Colorado, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Colorado educational institutions. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Boulder entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Interviews With Boulder Entrepreneurs

We're compiling a number of interviews with Boulder entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

Moving Forward

Most new Boulder businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Boulder businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Boulder, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Boulder, Colorado

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

More Business Startup Guides for Colorado

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Starting a Business in Brighton

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Colorado
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