Colorado Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Salida, Colorado

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you are ready to take on this challenge?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Salida. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Salida, Colorado Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1900
5-9 Employees
528
10-19 Employees
216
20-49 Employees
114
50-99 Employees
24
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Salida Businesses
2800

As a new Salida entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Salida 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Barber Shops
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
6
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
4
Family Planning Centers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Full-Service Restaurants
16
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
4
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
2
Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tour Operators
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Salida, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Law. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Fuzziwig's Candy Factory. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Frozen Yogurt Franchises and Kid Friendly Franchises.

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

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.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Colorado.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Salida business, you need to focus on sales.

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.

Sales Prospecting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Salida, Colorado, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Colorado educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Salida entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Salida, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Salida and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Salida, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Salida, Colorado

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

More Startup Articles for Colorado Cities

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Starting a Business in San Luis

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Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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