Washington Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Ocean Shores, Washington

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

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 help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 How to Start a Custom Car Parts & Accessories Business guide or our Starting a Radios Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Ocean Shores. If Ocean Shores already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Ocean Shores demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Ocean Shores, Washington Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
231
5-9 Employees
135
10-19 Employees
72
20-49 Employees
45
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Ocean Shores Businesses
486

As a new Ocean Shores entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ocean Shores 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
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
2
Janitorial Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Meat Markets
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Recreational Goods Rental
3
Residential Remodelers
4
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Ocean Shores, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Selling A Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Synergy Homecare and Automotive Art. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Dry Cleaning & Laundry Franchises and Kid Friendly Franchises.

Note on Ocean Shores Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Ocean Shores.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, 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.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Washington.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Ocean Shores customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a excellent marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Introduction to Advertising discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Ocean Shores business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Next Steps

Most new Ocean Shores businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Ocean Shores 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 Ocean Shores, Washington

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

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