Oklahoma Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Poteau, Oklahoma

Are you starting a business in Poteau, Oklahoma? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Poteau.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 Paper Cutting & Drilling Machines Business guide or our Starting a Masquerade & Theatrical Costumes Sales & Rental Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Poteau. Some businesses will do better in Poteau than others. A critical consideration is whether Poteau demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Poteau, Oklahoma Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
564
5-9 Employees
231
10-19 Employees
135
20-49 Employees
87
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Poteau Businesses
1056

As a new Poteau entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Poteau 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 Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
10
Convenience Stores
1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Couriers
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Engineering Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
2
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Home Health Care Services
7
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
11
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Lawyers
14
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tire Retreading
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

What About Buying an Existing Poteau Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Oklahoma. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Poteau.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Poteau, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Oklahoma business.

Forming a Company in Poteau, Oklahoma

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.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Oklahoma, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Oklahoma. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Poteau, Oklahoma, our web page covering Incorporating in Oklahoma may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Oklahoma.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Poteau, Oklahoma, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Oklahoma universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Poteau entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Poteau. 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.

We are here to help Poteau businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Poteau, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Poteau, Oklahoma

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

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