Starting Your Business

Whether you’re operating a farmer’s market stand, opening a storefront, or selling products online, naming your business is a key first step.

Filing Your Business Name

Have an idea of what you’d like to call your business? You can research name availability through the Oklahoma Secretary of State website. Owners may also consider whether a related website domain is available as well. Once you’ve decided on a name, and determined that it’s available, its time to file  your business name online with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. This is not a required step but registering the name will protect its use in Oklahoma.

Register Your Business

The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office registers entities to do business in the state. As a registered business, you can legally sell goods or services in Oklahoma. The registration process takes about 15 minutes to complete and currently costs $100 plus a service fee. From the Oklahoma Secretary of State website look for “File Online” and click on “Business Entity”. This will take you to a new page with a number of different legal structure filing options.

Not sure what legal structure you should use for your business? Learn more about business structures from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Most small businesses will file as a Domestic Limited Liability Corporation, or LLC, to separate their personal financial status from their business. After completing the online filing and paying the fee,  you should receive a copy of your business registration, including your business’s Secretary of State filing number, within 24 hours.

Congratulations! You’re in business!

If you have filed as a corporation, will have employees, or just  want to set up a business banking account, the next step in getting your business up and running is to obtain an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

This process can be completed online but can also be done by mail or phone. To start, as the Responsible Party for your business, you will need to have your personal Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

There is no fee to obtain an EIN and the process should take about 15 minutes using the online IRS portal.

Will your business sell a product?  Then you will need to a Sales or Use Tax Permit from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

The Tax Commission provides a helpful guide to take you through their process. To register for a sales or use tax permit, the Oklahoma Tax Commission also provides a step-by-step application portal that’s handy and easy to use.

To start you will need the Secretary of State Filing Number and EIN obtained in previous steps. This process takes about 30 minutes to complete using the online application portal and costs $20.00 plus a handling fee.

Only specific types of businesses, like taxis, mobile vendors and outdoor sellers, require licensing with the city. A list of those businesses and their licensing applications can be found here. Other businesses, like general contractors, retail establishments, restaurants, and others, are licensed through the State of Oklahoma. 

Some common business types do not have local or state licensing requirements, these include, but are not limited to:

Fill Out A Google Profile. Everyone looks up businesses on online so making a profile is a great way to share basic information about your business. With a  profile, Google will show your hours, address, website, and other important information. This will also allow customers to find directions to your business.

Develop a Social Media Presence. Social media is a great way to quickly publish information about your brand, create a community, and advertise your product. With a variety of platforms to choose it is worth investing in setting up some time to create a page for your business. Social media can be updated daily, or even throughout the day, to reflect changes in a menu’s daily special or updated times for an event. Social media posting can also be a low-cost way to get online for new businesses.

Launch your website. Making your own webpage can be as easy as filling in the gaps of a pre-made template or there are numerous vendors that can help develop something unique. Your website should, at a minimum, include a Homepage; About page; Products or Services page; and Contact page, where customers can be given information on how to contact you. Most web hosting comes with an annual hosting fee, so look around to find a price that’s right for you.

Do you want to open your own business but are not sure where to start? The Tulsa community is full of resources to help you turn your entrepreneurial idea into a reality.

Online Training and In-person Classes

• SBA Learning Center. The Small Business Administration offers brief videos on everything you need to know to plan, launch, manage, market, and grow your business in their Learning Center. Get started today and learn at your own pace.
• Small Business University (SBU). Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) leads Small Business university, a series of courses where local entrepreneurs can take focused classes to learn the necessary skills to build and grow their small businesses. Courses are taught by subject matter experts in fields such as Accounting, Self-Employment, Business Planning, and more.
• Other local resources provide ongoing entrepreneurship classes, including the Hispanic Small Business Association, Build In Tulsa’s Startup School, and 36 Degrees North’s popUP Sessions.

Creating a business plan is one of the first steps to taking your business from idea to reality, but writing a plan can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done so. The business model canvas can help clarify, on one page, what you want to accomplish with your business and can be a great first step in developing your business plan. With everything on one page, you can tweak, revise, and discuss without having to flip back and forth through the text of larger plan while you’re still working things out.

Once you’ve worked out the model, it should be easier to write your business plan. Your business plan is a written document that describes your company’s main work, goals, and how you plan to achieve those goals. A good business plan guides you through starting and managing your business. Think of it as a roadmap on your entrepreneurial journey!

A business plan can help you get funding. It helps you tell people your strategy for running your business. Whether you are selling software or sandwiches, creating your business plan is a key part of starting a successful business. Each business plan looks a little different so create the plan that works for you. If you need a place to start, here is a short business plan video that helps explain each of the sections you should include.

Understanding your market is a vital part of ensuring success. A solid market analysis will demonstrate why your business model is needed. It will include information about industry trends, target customers, and your competitors. Your market analysis will help you differentiate your business and identify where and who to market to. Here’s a short video explaining the importance of  understanding your market, and how that might change with more information about your market demographics.

The PartnerTulsa Economic Development Tool is a great way for you to learn about who lives nearby, what kind of businesses you’ll be next to, and more demographic location that can give you the head start your business needs!

PartnerTulsa staff can also meet with you one on one to help you with specific questions.  You can also contact the local Small Business Development Center (SBDC), REI Women’s Business Center, or SCORE Chapter to find mentors who can assist you with your business’s development:

• Jill Dietz, SBDC Associate Business Advisor, jill.dietz@oksbdc.com, 918-877-8174
• William Griggs, SCORE volunteer & Chair of Recruitment, wgriggs1@outlook.com
• Leslie Browand, REI Women’s Business Center Coordinator, lbrowand@reiok.org
• Greenwood Women’s Business Center, http://greenwoodwbc.org/

Choosing an initial physical location for your business could be as simple as going to your garage, like early founders of Apple Computer, or it could mean finding a storefront or warehouse.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce provides the “SizeUp” business intelligence tool  to help you evaluate locations, competition, and other factors critical to making your first location a success. Just enter the type of business you are interested in, using the pull-down list, and your city to learn about local opportunities, as well as other locations that might need your business’ product.

Zoning Requirements

All properties have a zoning designation that determines what types of buildings can be built (called “uses”) on that land.  To minimize hurdles, find a location that is zoned for your business. For example, investing in a space that was previously a restaurant can save time and construction costs. The Tulsa Planning Office at Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) can assist entrepreneurs with any zoning requirements or changes needed for their property. To explore, check out the following resources:

• Zoning Map: See the zoning type of each neighborhood and address in Tulsa.
• Zoning Code: Look up the requirements associated with a properties’ zoning designation in the City of Tulsa Zoning Code.
• Zoning FAQ’s: Learn the basics of zoning, zoning processes, and where to find more information.

If you’re ready to build or renovate a space, consider the permits that will be needed. PartnerTulsa is here to help every step of the way.

The City of Tulsa Development Services Permit Center permits all development within the city and registers the licenses of trade contractors. The Permit Center is located on the 4th Floor of City Hall. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Many of the Development Services forms and processes required for growing a business are available online through the self-service EnerGov portal. EnerGov will guide you through Permit Applications, Permit Request forms, Contractor Registration and Account forms, and Appeal forms, among others.

Although a few of the forms can be found online for paper submittals, it is preferable to access and submit permits by using the online self-service portal. This tool makes growing in Tulsa simple by allowing the applicant to register once and then have access to fill out the application questions and upload plans online. The self-service portal helps users submit, track and pay online. If you have any questions or encounter a problem with self-service, contact the PartnerTulsa Business Services Liaison.

If you have questions about getting a permit, don’t know who to ask, or don’t know what to do next, PartnerTulsa has staff dedicated to helping you through City processes. The Business Services Liaison serves as point of contact to the development community, business owners andentrepreneurs, representing the City in the development review process. Based on your particular needs, they will assemble people and resources from other City departments into meetings or discussions focused on problem-solving and moving the project forward. They can also answer questions about EnerGov, the online self-serve permitting portal.

Contact the Business Services Liaison online or by phone to get help with your project or question.