Oklahoma Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Ponca City, Oklahoma

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

Choosing the Right Company to Start

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.

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 Gas Pipes Business guide or our How to Start a Pet Clothing & Accessories Retail Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Ponca City has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Ponca City than others. Study Ponca City demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Ponca City, Oklahoma Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1403
5-9 Employees
543
10-19 Employees
306
20-49 Employees
258
50-99 Employees
75
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
21
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Ponca City Businesses
2630

As a new Ponca City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ponca City 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
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
12
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
7
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Carbon Black Manufacturing
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
10
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
3
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
3
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Family Clothing Stores
7
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
3
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
20
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
2
Household Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
24
Internet Service Providers
2
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
5
Landscaping Services
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
26
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
4
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Lawyers
24
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Refineries
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
5
Radio Stations
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Sales Financing
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
6
Shoe Stores
3
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Steel Investment Foundries
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tire Dealers
2
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
5

Selecting a Name For Your Business

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: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Ponca City, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Oklahoma business.

Company Formation in Ponca City, Oklahoma

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Oklahoma, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Oklahoma. In fact, you are allowed to 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'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 Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Ponca City, Oklahoma, our web page covering Incorporating in Oklahoma may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oklahoma.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Oklahoma.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new Ponca City business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Ponca City entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Oklahoma Angel Investors and our List of Oklahoma Venture Capital Firms.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Ponca City, 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 Ponca City businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ponca City 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 Ponca City, Oklahoma

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

More Business Startup Guides for Oklahoma

Starting a Business in Piedmont
Starting a Business in Poteau

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