Oregon Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Wilsonville, Oregon

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Wilsonville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

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 Opening a Dry Ice Business guide or our Starting a Real Estate Attorney Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Wilsonville. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Wilsonville. Study Wilsonville demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Wilsonville, Oregon Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4296
5-9 Employees
1584
10-19 Employees
1296
20-49 Employees
1020
50-99 Employees
372
100-249 Employees
264
250-499 Employees
84
500-999 Employees
96
1000+ Employees
36
All Wilsonville Businesses
9048

As a new Wilsonville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wilsonville 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 Arcades
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
5
Business Associations
8
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
3
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Drafting Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
11
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
6
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
7
Full-Service Restaurants
19
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
8
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
15
Janitorial Services
5
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
8
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Logging
1
Machine Shops
2
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Representatives
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
7
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Packing and Crating
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
9
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
6
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Soft Drink Manufacturing
2
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Soybean Processing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
5
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Wilsonville, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Oregon business.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, 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 The Art of the Executive Summary. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Oregon.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Wilsonville customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Search Engine Promotion discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Next Steps

Most new Wilsonville 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 Wilsonville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Wilsonville 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 Wilsonville, Oregon

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Oregon

Starting a Business in Waldport
Starting a Business in Winston

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

 

 

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