Oregon Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Grants Pass, Oregon

Need help starting a business in Grants Pass, Oregon? We've got the information you need to open a business in Grants Pass.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before quitting your day job, consider 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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Grants Pass. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 How to Start a Floor Polishing, Waxing, & Cleaning Materials Business guide or our How to Start a Portrait & Commercial Photography Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Grants Pass. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Grants Pass. Make sure you fully understand Grants Pass demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Grants Pass, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3005
5-9 Employees
1158
10-19 Employees
774
20-49 Employees
393
50-99 Employees
111
100-249 Employees
54
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Grants Pass Businesses
5513

As a new Grants Pass entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Grants Pass 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
2
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
14
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Building
2
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
6
Cafeterias
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child Day Care Services
6
Claims Adjusting
2
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
4
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
10
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
20
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
4
Electrical Contractors
19
Electronic Auctions
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
7
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
14
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Flooring Contractors
9
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
8
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
21
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
7
Gold Ore Mining
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
17
Household Appliance Stores
5
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
26
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
11
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
19
Limited-Service Restaurants
41
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
1
Logging
10
Machine Shops
10
Mail-Order Houses
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Meat Markets
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
3
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
6
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
17
Offices of Chiropractors
16
Offices of Dentists
37
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
8
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
25
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
8
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
6
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
5
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
19
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Savings Institutions
6
Sawmills
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
5
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
11
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
22
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
2
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Support Activities for Forestry
7
Tax Preparation Services
7
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
3
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
12
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Grants Pass Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Oregon. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Grants Pass.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Picking a Company Name

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Grants Pass, it's very important that you make sure no Oregon company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Having a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Free Business Plan Templates. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Grants Pass, Oregon, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Oregon universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Grants Pass entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Grants Pass. 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.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Grants Pass, Oregon

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Oregon

Starting a Business in Gold Beach
Starting a Business in Gresham

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Oregon
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