Washington Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Wenatchee, Washington

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most startup businesses don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary 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.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Wenatchee. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Wenatchee, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2348
5-9 Employees
882
10-19 Employees
540
20-49 Employees
309
50-99 Employees
105
100-249 Employees
63
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
3
All Wenatchee Businesses
4262

As a new Wenatchee entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wenatchee 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
6
Automobile Driving Schools
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
4
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
7
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
19
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
17
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
2
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
2
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
5
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
7
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
8
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
7
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Framing Contractors
7
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
13
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
9
Household Appliance Stores
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
34
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
11
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
4
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
20
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Logging
1
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
4
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
33
Offices of Lawyers
45
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
17
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
4
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
13
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Skiing Facilities
1
Software Publishers
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Bag Mills
1
Tire Dealers
4
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
2
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
11
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
4

Choosing a Company Name

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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

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

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Wenatchee business the capital it needs to succeed 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.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Choosing VC Firms.

For Wenatchee entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Wenatchee and accelerate your business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Music on Hold discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Wenatchee business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Selling with Questions 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

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Wenatchee and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Wenatchee, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wenatchee, Washington

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

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