Montana Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Missoula, Montana
Need help starting a business in Missoula, Montana? We've got the information you need to open a business in Missoula.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Running your own business is hard work, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Missoula. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Missoula, Montana Demographic Information
Missoula has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Missoula demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Missoula.
Businesses
As a new Missoula entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Missoula 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
Forming a Company in Missoula, Montana
It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
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 Montana, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Montana. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
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 Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Missoula, Montana, our information on Incorporating in Montana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Montana.
Letting the World Know You Exist
Whether your goal is to attract Missoula customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising in Magazines is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Missoula business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Selling Products on eBay is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Missoula, Montana, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Montana universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Missoula entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Missoula, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Missoula businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Missoula, Montana
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Missoula.
- Resources for Missoula, Montana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Missoula entrepreneurs.
- Montana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Montana.
- Montana Small Business Development Center - The Montana Small Business Development Centers focus on the creation, retention and expansion of Montana small businesses.
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