Washington Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sumner, Washington

Thinking about starting a business in Sumner, Washington? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Sumner.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new ventures fail, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Sumner. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Sumner, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
9856
5-9 Employees
3549
10-19 Employees
1869
20-49 Employees
1722
50-99 Employees
588
100-249 Employees
336
250-499 Employees
147
500-999 Employees
21
1000+ Employees
0
All Sumner Businesses
18088

As a new Sumner entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sumner 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
13
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Boat Dealers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
2
Child Day Care Services
13
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
3
Dental Laboratories
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
5
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
7
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
8
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Interior Design Services
3
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
13
Land Subdivision
4
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
20
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
28
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
4
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Dentists
15
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Packing and Crating
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
12
Paperboard Mills
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
7
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Remediation Services
1
Residential Remodelers
9
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Shellfish Fishing
2
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
13
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
12
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
3
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Wood Preservation
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Sumner Business?

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

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Sumner, it's imperative that you check now that no other Washington company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Sumner, Washington

A critical step is ensuring 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.

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 Washington, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Washington. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Sumner, Washington, our information on Incorporating in Washington may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Washington.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Sumner business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 capital, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

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

Next Steps

Most new Sumner businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Sumner and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Sumner 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 Sumner, Washington

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

More Startup Articles for Washington Cities

Starting a Business in Stevenson
Starting a Business in Sunnyside

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Washington
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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