Washington Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Mount Vernon, Washington
Thinking about starting a business in Mount Vernon, Washington? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Mount Vernon.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Mount Vernon. 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.
Mount Vernon, Washington Demographic Information
Mount Vernon has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Mount Vernon demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Mount Vernon.
Businesses
As a new Mount Vernon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mount Vernon 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
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Mount Vernon, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Cheeburger Cheeburger Restaurants, Inc. and Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Care Franchises and Leisure and Entertainment Franchises.
Note on Mount Vernon Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Mount Vernon, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, 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.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Mistakes. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Washington.
Marketing Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Mount Vernon customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Yellow Pages Advertising Advice is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Mount Vernon or are selling to customers throughout Washington, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Closing Sales offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Mount Vernon. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Mount Vernon and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Mount Vernon, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mount Vernon, Washington
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Mount Vernon.
- Resources for Mount Vernon, Washington Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Mount Vernon 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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