Opening a Business in Nampa, Idaho

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 How to Start a Kosher Restaurant guide or our Starting an Auto Covers Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Nampa has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Nampa. Make sure you fully understand Nampa demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Nampa, Idaho Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Nampa entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Nampa 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.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

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?

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

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Nampa, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Idaho company using the business name you have chosen.

Forming a Company in Nampa, Idaho

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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. If you are starting a business in Idaho, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Idaho. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Nampa, Idaho, our information on Incorporating in Idaho may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Idaho.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Nampa business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Nampa entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Idaho Angel Investors and our List of Idaho Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Nampa and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising on Buses is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Nampa businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Nampa 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 Nampa, Idaho

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

• Resources for Nampa, Idaho Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Nampa entrepreneurs.
• Idaho Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Idaho.
• Idaho Small Business Development Center - The Idaho Small Business Development Center (Idaho SBDC) is a university-based organization offering a wealth of free and low-cost services to help small businesses and entrepreneurs be successful.