Montana Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Conrad, Montana

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

What Type of Business Should You 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 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 Starting a Funeral Alternatives Business guide or our How to Start a Residential Real Estate Attorneys Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Conrad. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Conrad. A critical consideration is whether Conrad demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Conrad, Montana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
480
5-9 Employees
234
10-19 Employees
120
20-49 Employees
24
50-99 Employees
6
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Conrad Businesses
870

As a new Conrad entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Conrad 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Computer and Software Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Full-Service Restaurants
4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Secondary Market Financing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Veterinary Services
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

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

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Montana.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Conrad business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Conrad entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Montana Angel Investors and our List of Montana Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Conrad customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising on Buses discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Conrad, Montana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Montana educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Conrad entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Conrad 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 Conrad and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Conrad 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 Conrad, Montana

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

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