Contemplating starting a business in Wheat Ridge, Colorado? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Wheat Ridge.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the business owner 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.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Wheat Ridge. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
What Business to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.
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 Starting a Sandwiches Wholesale Business guide or our How to Start an Utilities Contractors Business guide.
Don't forget that Wheat Ridge is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Wheat Ridge than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Wheat Ridge demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Wheat Ridge, Colorado Demographic Information
Wheat Ridge has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Wheat Ridge demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Wheat Ridge.
Business Size | # of Businesses |
1-4 Employees |
2030 |
5-9 Employees |
738 |
10-19 Employees |
501 |
20-49 Employees |
339 |
50-99 Employees |
117 |
100-249 Employees |
33 |
250-499 Employees |
6 |
500-999 Employees |
0 |
1000+ Employees |
3 |
All Wheat Ridge Businesses |
3767 |
As a new Wheat Ridge entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wheat Ridge 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 |
Advertising Agencies
|
3 |
Amusement Arcades
|
1 |
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
|
1 |
Architectural Services
|
4 |
Automobile Driving Schools
|
2 |
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
|
2 |
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
|
7 |
Automotive Transmission Repair
|
4 |
Baked Goods Stores
|
1 |
Barber Shops
|
1 |
Beauty Salons
|
15 |
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
|
6 |
Boat Dealers
|
1 |
Book Publishers
|
1 |
Book Stores
|
2 |
Bowling Centers
|
2 |
Building Inspection Services
|
1 |
Business Associations
|
4 |
Cable and Other Program Distribution
|
1 |
Cafeterias
|
1 |
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
|
1 |
Canvas and Related Product Mills
|
1 |
Car Washes
|
2 |
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
|
6 |
Caterers
|
4 |
Cemeteries and Crematories
|
3 |
Child Day Care Services
|
3 |
Civic and Social Organizations
|
1 |
Claims Adjusting
|
1 |
Commercial Lithographic Printing
|
4 |
Commercial Screen Printing
|
2 |
Community Food Services
|
1 |
Computer and Software Stores
|
1 |
Computer Facilities Management Services
|
1 |
Computer Systems Design Services
|
14 |
Confectionery and Nut Stores
|
1 |
Consumer Lending
|
1 |
Convenience Stores
|
2 |
Couriers
|
1 |
Credit Unions
|
3 |
Custom Computer Programming Services
|
5 |
Dental Laboratories
|
4 |
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
|
1 |
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
|
1 |
Direct Mail Advertising
|
2 |
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
|
1 |
Discount Department Stores
|
2 |
Display Advertising
|
1 |
Document Preparation Services
|
1 |
Drafting Services
|
1 |
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
|
9 |
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
|
2 |
Electrical Contractors
|
25 |
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
|
1 |
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
|
1 |
Electronic Shopping
|
2 |
Elementary and Secondary Schools
|
7 |
Employment Placement Agencies
|
1 |
Engineering Services
|
19 |
Environmental Consulting Services
|
7 |
Family Clothing Stores
|
1 |
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
|
2 |
Fine Arts Schools
|
2 |
Finish Carpentry Contractors
|
4 |
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
|
2 |
Floor Covering Stores
|
1 |
Flooring Contractors
|
3 |
Florists
|
1 |
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
|
2 |
Food Service Contractors
|
3 |
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
|
1 |
Framing Contractors
|
3 |
Freight Transportation Arrangement
|
5 |
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
|
1 |
Full-Service Restaurants
|
29 |
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
|
4 |
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
|
1 |
Furniture Stores
|
1 |
General Automotive Repair
|
26 |
General Freight Trucking, Local
|
1 |
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
|
1 |
General Rental Centers
|
2 |
General Warehousing and Storage
|
1 |
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
|
4 |
Glass and Glazing Contractors
|
2 |
Glass Container Manufacturing
|
1 |
Graphic Design Services
|
5 |
Hardware Stores
|
2 |
Heating Oil Dealers
|
1 |
HMO Medical Centers
|
2 |
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
|
3 |
Home Health Care Services
|
6 |
Homes for the Elderly
|
3 |
Household Appliance Stores
|
1 |
Industrial Building Construction
|
1 |
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
|
1 |
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
|
21 |
Interior Design Services
|
1 |
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
|
1 |
Internet Service Providers
|
1 |
Investigation Services
|
4 |
Investment Advice
|
3 |
Janitorial Services
|
6 |
Jewelry Stores
|
4 |
Landscaping Services
|
17 |
Limited-Service Restaurants
|
22 |
Limousine Service
|
2 |
Logging
|
1 |
Machine Shops
|
3 |
Mail-Order Houses
|
2 |
Marketing Consulting Services
|
3 |
Masonry Contractors
|
4 |
Meat Markets
|
3 |
Medical Laboratories
|
1 |
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
|
4 |
Motion Picture and Video Production
|
1 |
Motor Vehicle Towing
|
1 |
Motorcycle Dealers
|
1 |
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
|
2 |
New Car Dealers
|
2 |
Newspaper Publishers
|
2 |
Nonresidential Property Managers
|
2 |
Nursing Care Facilities
|
7 |
Office Administrative Services
|
7 |
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
|
3 |
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
|
22 |
Offices of Chiropractors
|
11 |
Offices of Dentists
|
38 |
Offices of Lawyers
|
29 |
Offices of Optometrists
|
4 |
Offices of Other Holding Companies
|
1 |
Offices of Podiatrists
|
2 |
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
|
3 |
Optical Goods Stores
|
3 |
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
|
1 |
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
|
2 |
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
|
7 |
Passenger Car Rental
|
1 |
Payroll Services
|
1 |
Periodical Publishers
|
7 |
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
|
3 |
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
|
5 |
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
|
1 |
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
|
2 |
Photography Studios, Portrait
|
5 |
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
|
1 |
Political Organizations
|
2 |
Portfolio Management
|
1 |
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
|
2 |
Private Mail Centers
|
1 |
Professional Employer Organizations
|
1 |
Professional Organizations
|
2 |
Public Relations Agencies
|
1 |
Quick Printing
|
2 |
Radio Networks
|
1 |
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing
|
1 |
Real Estate Credit
|
5 |
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
|
4 |
Remediation Services
|
1 |
Residential Property Managers
|
2 |
Residential Remodelers
|
12 |
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
|
2 |
Roofing Contractors
|
4 |
Sales Financing
|
2 |
Savings Institutions
|
2 |
Secondary Market Financing
|
1 |
Securities Brokerage
|
6 |
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing
|
1 |
Shoe Stores
|
4 |
Siding Contractors
|
2 |
Sign Manufacturing
|
1 |
Site Preparation Contractors
|
4 |
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
|
13 |
Solid Waste Collection
|
3 |
Sound Recording Studios
|
2 |
Sporting Goods Stores
|
10 |
Tax Preparation Services
|
7 |
Taxi Service
|
1 |
Telemarketing Bureaus
|
3 |
Temporary Help Services
|
1 |
Testing Laboratories
|
3 |
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
|
4 |
Tire Dealers
|
5 |
Tire Retreading
|
1 |
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
|
3 |
Tobacco Stores
|
1 |
Tour Operators
|
1 |
Travel Agencies
|
3 |
Used Car Dealers
|
2 |
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
|
1 |
Used Merchandise Stores
|
4 |
Vending Machine Operators
|
1 |
Veterinary Services
|
8 |
Video Tape and Disc Rental
|
2 |
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
|
2 |
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
|
7 |
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
|
2 |
Women's Clothing Stores
|
1 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
Visit the business district of Wheat Ridge and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Growth Trends in Franchising. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Blue Chip Cookies and Altoids Gum Vending Machines by Candy King. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Repair Franchises and Print and Sign Franchises.
Note on Wheat Ridge Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Wheat Ridge.
Forming a Company in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.
The entity you form can be 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. If you are starting a business in Colorado, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Colorado. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 Subchapter S Corporations. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, our information on Incorporating in Colorado may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Colorado.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Colorado educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any Wheat Ridge networking organizations.
Next Steps
Most new Wheat Ridge businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Wheat Ridge and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Wheat Ridge, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Wheat Ridge.