Colorado Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Steamboat Springs. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2588
5-9 Employees
681
10-19 Employees
420
20-49 Employees
273
50-99 Employees
42
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
6
All Steamboat Springs Businesses
4040

As a new Steamboat Springs entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Steamboat Springs 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
16
Art Dealers
5
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
12
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
9
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
5
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
8
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
6
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
3
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drafting Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
16
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
7
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
19
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
15
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
51
Furniture Stores
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Historical Sites
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Interior Design Services
9
Internet Service Providers
2
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
16
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Land Subdivision
9
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
24
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
7
Masonry Contractors
8
Meat Markets
2
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Housing Operative Builders
6
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Dentists
11
Offices of Lawyers
29
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
20
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Portfolio Management
4
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Goods Rental
7
Residential Remodelers
15
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
15
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
21
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Tax Preparation Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
5
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
13

What About Buying an Existing Steamboat Springs Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Colorado. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Steamboat Springs.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Steamboat Springs, it's imperative that you check now that no other Colorado company is using the business name you want to use.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Steamboat Springs customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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

Given that you are starting a business in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Colorado educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Steamboat Springs entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Steamboat Springs Entrepreneur Interviews

We're compiling a number of interviews with Steamboat Springs entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

Now It's Up To You

Most new Steamboat Springs 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Steamboat Springs and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Steamboat Springs entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Colorado

Starting a Business in Springfield
Starting a Business in Sterling

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Colorado
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary