Idaho Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Pocatello, Idaho
Thinking about starting a business in Pocatello, Idaho? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Pocatello.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Pocatello. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Pocatello, Idaho Demographic Information
Pocatello has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Pocatello demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Pocatello.
Businesses
As a new Pocatello entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pocatello 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.
Businesses
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Pocatello and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Oberweis Franchise Systems, LLC and Sparkle Carpet Cleaning. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Business Services Franchises and Pet Franchises.
Note on Pocatello Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Pocatello.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Pocatello Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Idaho. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Pocatello.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
Writing a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Find Sample Business Plans Online. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Idaho.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Pocatello customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Pocatello, 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 Pocatello businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Pocatello, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Pocatello, Idaho
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Pocatello.
- Resources for Pocatello, Idaho Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Pocatello 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.
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