Montana Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Bozeman, Montana

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bozeman. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Which Business to Choose?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Batteries Industrial Business guide or our Starting a Forensic Consultants Business guide.

Don't forget that your new business will be in Bozeman. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Bozeman. Study Bozeman demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Bozeman, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5904
5-9 Employees
1593
10-19 Employees
1134
20-49 Employees
540
50-99 Employees
183
100-249 Employees
57
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Bozeman Businesses
9426

As a new Bozeman entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bozeman 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
45
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
10
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
3
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
22
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
4
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Book Publishers
4
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
2
Breweries
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Building Inspection Services
5
Business Associations
6
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
6
Casino Hotels
1
Caterers
6
Child Day Care Services
37
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Photography
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Systems Design Services
10
Computer Training
1
Consumer Lending
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Unions
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Dance Companies
1
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
5
Drafting Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
21
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
19
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
42
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
58
Environmental Consulting Services
18
Family Clothing Stores
17
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
25
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
9
Flooring Contractors
8
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
2
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
2
Framing Contractors
25
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
15
General Automotive Repair
26
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
16
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
7
Graphic Design Services
14
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
7
Hunting and Trapping
1
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
44
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
11
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
28
Jewelry Stores
13
Land Subdivision
11
Landscaping Services
50
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
7
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
53
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Logging
4
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
6
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
14
Masonry Contractors
17
Meat Markets
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
3
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
6
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
4
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
14
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
10
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
11
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
29
Offices of Chiropractors
20
Offices of Dentists
40
Offices of Lawyers
72
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Podiatrists
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
5
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
42
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
10
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
9
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Record Production
1
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
4
Residential Property Managers
11
Residential Remodelers
31
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
5
Rooming and Boarding Houses
5
Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills
1
Sales Financing
1
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
4
Sawmills
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
17
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
7
Siding Contractors
9
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
21
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
16
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
4
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
28
Tax Preparation Services
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
5
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
6
Textile Bag Mills
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
5
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
4
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
8
Used Merchandise Stores
15
Veterinary Services
13
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
10
Wood Preservation
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

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

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Law. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Pizzeria Venti and The Pizza Pipeline. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Franchises and Pest Control Franchises.

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

Building Up Your Sales

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

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Hiring Good 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Bozeman, Montana, you should check out some of the learning programs at local Montana educational institutions. You should also check if there are any Bozeman networking organizations.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Bozeman 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 Bozeman, Montana

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

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