Oregon Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Medford, Oregon

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

Medford, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
34104
5-9 Employees
14154
10-19 Employees
9387
20-49 Employees
6237
50-99 Employees
1680
100-249 Employees
987
250-499 Employees
252
500-999 Employees
21
1000+ Employees
63
All Medford Businesses
66885

As a new Medford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Medford 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
3
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
14
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
17
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
2
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
3
Car Washes
9
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
9
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
11
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
10
Commercial Photography
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
8
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
6
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
18
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
7
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
2
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Dental Laboratories
5
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
7
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
4
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
5
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
3
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
14
Educational Support Services
4
Electric Power Distribution
6
Electrical Contractors
21
Electronic Shopping
10
Elementary and Secondary Schools
11
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Engineering Services
14
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
15
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
13
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
14
Floor Covering Stores
8
Flooring Contractors
10
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
7
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
11
Freight Transportation Arrangement
14
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
3
Full-Service Restaurants
88
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
24
General Automotive Repair
33
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
15
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
7
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
8
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
9
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
4
Home Health Care Services
5
Homes for the Elderly
30
Household Appliance Stores
6
Human Rights Organizations
1
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
75
Interior Design Services
7
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
3
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Jewelry Stores
16
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
10
Landscape Architectural Services
4
Landscaping Services
46
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
11
Limited-Service Restaurants
93
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
4
Locksmiths
3
Logging
11
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
7
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
5
Marketing Consulting Services
5
Masonry Contractors
9
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
31
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
6
Museums
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
4
Nail Salons
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
14
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
8
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
5
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
9
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
65
Offices of Lawyers
75
Offices of Optometrists
12
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
19
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
6
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
15
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
7
Payroll Services
4
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
9
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
7
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
6
Power-Driven Handtool Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
4
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Professional Organizations
5
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
9
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
17
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Repossession Services
2
Residential Property Managers
15
Residential Remodelers
26
Resilient Floor Covering Manufacturing
1
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
10
Savings Institutions
13
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
4
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities and Commodity Exchanges
1
Securities Brokerage
24
Security Guards and Patrol Services
6
Shoe Stores
16
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
11
Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
36
Software Publishers
2
Sporting Goods Stores
15
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Support Activities for Forestry
20
Tax Preparation Services
19
Taxi Service
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Television Broadcasting
5
Temporary Help Services
12
Testing Laboratories
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
10
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire Dealers
10
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
17
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
11
Vending Machine Operators
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
9
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
5
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
10
Window Treatment Stores
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
10
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Medford, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Coyote Canyon and Homes 4Sale By Owner Network. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Medford 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 Medford.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Company Formation in Medford, Oregon

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Oregon, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Oregon. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Corporate Formalities. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Medford, Oregon, our information on Incorporating in Oregon may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oregon.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Medford business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Medford entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Oregon Angel Investors and our List of Oregon Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Medford and build your business, you need a great marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Billboard Advertising Best Practices is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team 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 Medford, 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.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Medford, Oregon

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

More Business Startup Guides for Oregon

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Starting a Business in Milton Freewater

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Oregon
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