Washington Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Gig Harbor, Washington
Contemplating starting a business in Gig Harbor, Washington? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Gig Harbor.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Free Business Ideas.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Neuropsychiatry Psychiatry Physicians Practice guide or our Starting a Prepress Services Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Gig Harbor. Some businesses will do better in Gig Harbor than others. Make sure you fully understand Gig Harbor demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Gig Harbor, Washington Demographic Information
Gig Harbor has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Gig Harbor demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gig Harbor.
Businesses
As a new Gig Harbor entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gig Harbor 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.
Businesses
Company Formation in Gig Harbor, Washington
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporation 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. Just because you are starting a business in Washington, it doesn't mean you are required 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'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 Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gig Harbor, Washington, our information on Incorporating in Washington may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Washington.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Presentations. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Washington.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Getting your Gig Harbor business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. 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 Gig Harbor entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Washington Angel Investors and our List of Washington Venture Capital Firms.
Selling Tips
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Gig Harbor 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.
Effective Sales Presentations is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Never Give Up
Most new Gig Harbor businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Gig Harbor businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Gig Harbor, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Gig Harbor, Washington
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gig Harbor.
- Resources for Gig Harbor, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Gig Harbor entrepreneurs.
- Washington Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Washington.
- Washington Small Business Development Center - Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to Washington entrepreneurs and existing Washington businesses.
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