Oregon Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Gresham, Oregon

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

What Business Are You Starting?

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 Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Opening an Invention Marketing Services Business guide or our How to Start a Linoleum Retail Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Gresham. Some businesses will do better in Gresham than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Gresham demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Gresham, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8424
5-9 Employees
2592
10-19 Employees
1962
20-49 Employees
1089
50-99 Employees
333
100-249 Employees
180
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All Gresham Businesses
14625

As a new Gresham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gresham 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
18
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Boat Building
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
4
Business Associations
5
Cafeterias
3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
6
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
3
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
7
Computer Training
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
5
Convenience Stores
11
Credit Unions
3
Dental Laboratories
5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
5
Discount Department Stores
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
17
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Electrical Contractors
20
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
9
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
8
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
12
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
11
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
47
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
22
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Stores
1
HMO Medical Centers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
22
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Launderers
1
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
3
Investment Advice
7
Janitorial Services
20
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
22
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
61
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
8
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Meat Markets
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
11
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Lawyers
21
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
6
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Quick Printing
3
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Remodelers
16
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
13
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
19
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Tax Preparation Services
5
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Textile Bag Mills
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
8
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
9
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
10

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Gresham, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchising My Business. 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 P.B. Loco Peanutbutterlicious Cafes and Bear Rock Cafe. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Vending Franchises and eBay Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Gresham Business?

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

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

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Gresham business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling on the Phone 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.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Gresham, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

We are here to help Gresham businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Gresham entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Gresham, Oregon

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

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