Alaska Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Wrangell, Alaska
Contemplating starting a business in Wrangell, Alaska? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Wrangell.
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? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Pillows Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Starting a Wood Blinds Business guide.
Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Wrangell. Some businesses will do better in Wrangell than others. Don't forget to review Wrangell demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Wrangell, Alaska Demographic Information
Wrangell has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Wrangell demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Wrangell.
Businesses
As a new Wrangell entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wrangell 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Examine a list of Wrangell businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. 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 Tradeshows. 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.
Representative franchise opportunities include TurboHaul, LLC and Geeks On Call. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Car Wash Franchises and Healthy Alternative Foods Franchises.
Note on Wrangell Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Wrangell, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Forming a Company in Wrangell, Alaska
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Alaska, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Alaska. In fact, 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 ESOP Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Wrangell, Alaska, our information on Incorporating in Alaska may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Alaska.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Wrangell business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.
For Wrangell entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Alaska Angel Investors and our List of Alaska Venture Capital Firms.
How to Sell
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Wrangell or are selling to customers throughout Alaska, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Selling Stuff on the Web offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
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 Wrangell, Alaska, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Alaska universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Wrangell entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Wrangell. 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Wrangell and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Wrangell, Alaska
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Wrangell.
- Resources for Wrangell, Alaska Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Wrangell entrepreneurs.
- Alaska Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Alaska.
- Alaska Small Business Development Center - The Alaska Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the University of Alaska and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, has assisted businesses by providing free, confidential technical business assistance and low-cost business training in Alaska for twenty years.
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