Starting A Business

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Starting a business in grant county

The Grant County Economic Development Office has partnered with Oregon RAIN (Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network) to help you with all your business development needs that will connect you to mentors, industry experts, and stakeholders that can help you succeed in Grant County.

Zach Denney is the new Oregon RAIN Rural Venture Catalyst for Grant County. He will match you to training workshops, accelerators, and other educational programs to increase your startup’s chance of success. In addition, he will help you find office space, tools, equipment, labs, and other physical resources needed to grow your venture, along with helping you meet our network of angel investors and financial institutions to request the capital needed to grow your startup. 

Steps to Starting a Business in Grant County:

There is simply no way to eliminate all of the risk associated with starting a small business but you can improve your chances of success with good planning, preparation, and insight.  Grant County Economic Development and Oregon RAIN are here to help you navigate the waters.  Here are some steps to help get you started:

1. Schedule an appointment for no-cost confidential business advising with the Oregon RAIN Rural Venture Catalyst, Zach Denney.  Help with everything from feasibility studies and market research to writing a business plan, creating financial projections and pulling together financing applications and more is available. Contact Zach at (541) 589-5565 or email zach@oregonrain.org

2. Determine your business name, the type of business entity your business will be (sole proprietor, LLC, Corporation, Partnership, etc.) and register with the state at https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/default.aspx

3. Once a location is found, determine what licenses and/or permits are required.  Here are links to business license information and forms for the cities in Grant County:

4. Determine what your startup costs will be. Remember to include onetime costs such as renovation of storefront, required license fees, required equipment and signage, as well as ongoing expenses for the first months such as rent, utilities, inventory, insurance, etc.

5. As part of your business planning, make sure to write down your goals, your plans for getting the word out about your business, etc. so you can refer to it later. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to make sense to you.  If you are applying for financing, you will need a more formal business plan and financial reports, which you can receive help with from the Rural Venture Catalyst or go online to https://www.liveplan.com/ .  

Financing a Business

Depending on whether you are starting a business, need working capital for an existing business, or looking to expand, various loan programs are available as listed below. Learn more about various loan programs at the links below:

RESOURCES