Oklahoma with a population of over 3.9 million is one city that an entrepreneur or investor should consider if they want to start a new business.
The state of Oklahoma with its capital city in Oklahoma City, and major cities such as Tulsa, Norman, and Broken Arrow is host to a diverse range of sectors including aviation, energy, transportation equipment, food processing, electronics, and telecommunications.
Oklahoma is an important producer of natural gas, aircraft, and food. The state ranks third in the nation for the production of natural gas, is the 27th-most agriculturally productive state, and also ranks 5th in the production of wheat.
It has been rated one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, with the 7th-lowest tax burden in 2007. It might interest you to know that four Fortune 500 companies and six Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in Oklahoma, and it has been rated one of the most business-friendly states in the nation.
This is indeed one of the reasons why an investor should consider investing in Oklahoma. If you are thinking of starting a business in Oklahoma, and you don’t know which business idea to choose, then you are reading the right article. In this article, we will look at some of the best business ideas you can choose from.
Best Businesses to Start in Oklahoma
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Table of Content
- Airport Shuttle Service
- Luggage Delivery Services
- Cosmetic and Beauty Products Manufacturing Company
- Start a Teeth Whitening Business
- Start a Mobile Hair Salon Business
- Start Recreational Boats Rental Services
- Start Kayak Rental Business
- Parcel Delivery Services (Courier Services)
- Mobile Advertising (Billboard) Business
- Box Truck Moving Company
- Judgment Recovery Agency
- Payday Loan and Check Cashing Services
- Factoring Company
- Grains Farming
- Vegetable Farming
- Fish Farming Business
- Dog Breeding Business
- Open an Antique Mall Store
- Production of Herbal Tea
- Cattle Ranch
- 21. Start a Car Rental Services Business
- Poultry Farming Business
- Pig Farming
- Bees Farming
- Private Ambulance Services Business
- Bed and Breakfast Business
- Open a Family Entertainment Center
- Start a Property Development Company
- Start a House-Flipping Company
- Start an Event Planning Company
- Start a Wedding Planning Company
- Food Truck Business
- Open a Food Hub
- Open a Frozen Food Store
- Open a Fruit Juice Bar
- Open a Seafood Store
- Start a Vending Machine Business
- Start a Tea Party Business
- Start Tractors Rental Business
- Open Tractors, Maintenance, Servicing and Repair Workshop
- Taxi Services
- Waste Disposal Services
- Auto Repair Business
- Open a Car Wash Business
- Car Tracker Installation and Repair Business
- Car Dealership Shop
- Start an Auditing Firm
- Start a Retail Pharmacy Business
- Property Management Company
Airport Shuttle Service
The truth is that airports in Oklahoma are very busy most times of the year. Interestingly, among the state’s largest industries, the aerospace sector generates $11 billion annually.
Oklahoma’s largest commercial airport is Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, averaging a yearly passenger count of more than 3.5 million (1.7 million boardings) in 2010. Tulsa International Airport, the state’s second-largest commercial airport, served more than 1.3 million boardings in 2010.
When these passengers land, they usually take airport shuttles to an area where they can easily take a taxi or their car to their destination.
An entrepreneur who is looking to start a business in Oklahoma should consider starting a luggage delivery service. The luggage delivery business is all about helping travelers avoid the hassles of baggage merry-go-round waiting and security checks.
As a matter of fact, luggage delivery services go the extra mile to provide luggage for their customers when the need arises.
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Cosmetic and Beauty Products Manufacturing Company
Another business idea that you can start in Oklahoma is to open a cosmetic and beauty products manufacturing company.
Cosmetic and beauty products are used in all parts of the world and of course, those that are in the business of manufacturing cosmetics and beauty products, are known to generate sales year in and year out if the business is well–managed.
As a matter of fact, economic downturn hardly affects the consumption of cosmetic and beauty products simply because the commodity plays a major role in our daily lives.
A teeth whitening business is yet another business idea that an entrepreneur who wants to start a business in Oklahoma should consider.
Trust me, one will not be said to be beautiful if they don’t have a good and white set of teeth hence the reasons why people spend a fortune in making sure that their teeth are white and presentable. For example, a take-home whitening kit can cost an average of $610 and professional in-chair whitening can cost up to $260 a tooth.
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Start a Mobile Hair Salon Business
Mobile hair salon business eliminates the need for a physical business location, therefore limiting start-up costs considerably.
An aspiring entrepreneur can successfully start a mobile hair salon business with inexpensive supplies and tools and grow as needs arise. As a mobile hair stylist, you will perform your jobs in customer’s homes, hotels, hostels, campgrounds, and any private location, giving you the advantage of visibility for marketing purposes.
The downside includes not being able to work outdoors in inclement weather and the limitations of having to travel with all necessary tools and supplies, including large quantities of water.
Another thriving and easy-to-start business idea that can be started in Oklahoma is recreational boat rental services. Oklahoma is an ideal place for a recreational boat rental service because the state has 1,304 square miles (3,380 km2) of water.
More than 500 named creeks and rivers make up Oklahoma’s waterways, and 200 lakes are created by dams. Interestingly, Oklahoma holds the nation’s highest number of artificial reservoirs.
Starting a kayak rental business is yet another best business idea you can start in Oklahoma. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facing forward, legs in front, using a double-bladed paddle to pull front-to-back on one side and then the other in rotation.
To run a successful kayak rental business, you must love boating and be experienced in kayaking, as you will certainly have to instruct renters on how to operate the craft.
The parcel delivery services business is a good business idea that can thrive in Oklahoma. A courier service is a company, most times a private firm, that facilitates the shipping and movement of parcels and important documents.
These services tend to ensure quick faster delivery times than most alternative methods of transporting documents, and many businesses depend on these services to survive.
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Mobile Advertising (Billboard) Business
Starting a mobile advertising (billboard) business is yet another thriving business that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma especially if you have a box truck.
This is so because a box truck can be turned into a mobile 3D display case and you can make money offering mobile billboard services to businesses and organizations in and around your city. Please note that mobile billboards are out-of-home advertisements that move every which way because they’re displayed on vehicles.
Another business idea you can start in Oklahoma is a box truck moving company. Basically, a box truck moving company renders services that include local and long-distance transportation of household and office goods, electronic and home appliances, packing and packaging services; process, and distribution.
In order to maximize profits from a box truck moving business, you must be willing to go out of your way to partner with key players in the distribution and warehousing line of business in your city.
A judgment recovery agency is yet another business idea that an aspiring entrepreneur should consider starting in Oklahoma.
The judgment recovery professional “takes assignment” on judgments before he or she enforces them. That means that the judgment is actually transferred into the judgment recovery professional’s name, usually through the same method by which any considerable asset, such as real property, is lawfully transferred.
From this point onward, the judgment recovery professional is the new creditor and is thereby standing in the original creditor’s shoes.
A payday loan and check cashing services firm is yet another business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma. Payday loan and check cashing services firms offer payday loans, installment loans, and other related financial services. They may also cash checks, drafts, or money orders.
It is important to categorically state that banks and firms that operate exclusively online are not part of the Payday Loan and Check Cashing Services industry.
Another business idea that an entrepreneur should consider starting in Oklahoma is a factoring company. The term factoring simply means a short-term financing option to increase a business’s liquidity.
Factoring involves a company selling its accounts receivables or invoices to a third party as a means of accessing cash to finance further business activity without having to wait for their debtors to pay them. Factoring companies generate revenue through factor fees or the difference between the price paid for the invoice and money received from debtors.
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Grains Farming
Oklahoma is the 27th-most agriculturally productive state and also ranks 5th in production of wheat. Grains are stable foods that are consumed in all the countries of the world hence there is a global market for grains.
Grains such as millet, wheat, oat, shogun, barely, cereal, soybeans, black mustard, sunflower seed, et al, have good market value. So, if you are looking towards starting a business in Oklahoma, then you should consider going into grain farming.
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Vegetable Farming
Spinach, lettuce, pumpkin, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, etc. are all vegetables that are consumed in every part of the globe and can also be cultivated in every part of the world. This goes to show that there is a very large market for vegetables.
So, if you are looking towards starting a business in Oklahoma, then one of your options is to go into vegetable farming. Just like most agricultural produce; vegetables are perishable crops hence proper arrangements must be put in place to ensure that they are sold as soon as possible after harvest.
Usually, farmers ensure that they make an arrangement with buyers before harvesting their crops; it is safer and cost-effective.
Another highly thriving and profitable business idea an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is fish farming. Fish is consumed in all parts of the world hence there is a large market for fish.
Before now, people found it easier to rear only catfish, but in recent times, fish farmers can comfortably rear tilapia, trout, salmon fish, et al. All you need to get started is a space, tanks or ponds, fingerling, fish feed, et al.
Dog breeding business is a lucrative business that can be started in Oklahoma. Dogs are used for hunting, for security as pets, for games, and in some climes as a major source of protein. In essence, there is a global market for dogs howbeit different breeds of dogs are used for different purposes.
If you are looking towards setting up your kennel, ensure that you source for dog breeds that are highly marketable in your area.
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Open an Antique Mall Store
An antique mall store is yet another business idea that can thrive in Oklahoma. Antiques and collectibles malls retail or auction antiques and collectibles, such as coins, jewelry, books, figurines, and memorabilia. Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can range from moderate to high.
As a matter of fact, it is advisable to run an antique mortar and brick store alongside an online store if indeed you want to maximize profits in this business.
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Production of Herbal Tea
Another business idea that an aspiring entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is the production of herbal tea. Some herbs can be infused in boiling water to make herbal teas (also termed tisanes). Typically, dried leaves, flowers, or seeds are used, or fresh herbs are used.
Herbal teas tend to be made from aromatic herbs, may not contain tannins or caffeine, and are not typically mixed with milk. Common examples include chamomile tea or mint tea. Herbal teas are often used as a source of relaxation or can be associated with rituals.
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Cattle Ranch
If you have the financial capacity and you are looking towards going into the livestock breeding business in Oklahoma, one of your major options is to open a cattle ranch.
Apart from being ranked as the 27th-most agriculturally productive state, Oklahoma is fifth in cattle production. Approximately 5.5 percent of American beef comes from Oklahoma. The state had 85,500 farms in 2012, collectively producing $4.3 billion in animal products.
Cattle rearing is a big business; meats, skins, milk, manure, etc. are obtained from cattle ranches. There is a global market for cattle and it is indeed a profitable business to go into.
21. Start a Car Rental Services Business
The car rental business is yet another business idea that can be started in Oklahoma. If you are serious about starting a car rental services business in Oklahoma, then the first thing to consider is the niche of the car rental business you intend to operate. You will have to know the niches available – contract hire and daily hire et al, and decide which you want to go on.
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Poultry Farming Business
Poultry and swine are Oklahoma’s second and third-largest agricultural industries. Hens, various birds, quails, guinea fowls, ducks et al are all birds that can be comfortably reared in poultry. If you are looking towards starting a business in Oklahoma, then one of your options is to settle for poultry farming.
Poultry farming is a highly thriving and profitable business venture. Aside from the fact that people consume birds and chickens et al, the supply of eggs is also a major source of revenue for poultry farmers.
Pigs breeding business is yet another highly profitable and thriving business idea that an entrepreneur should consider. Before going into pig farming, ensure that you have done your market survey and feasibility studies so as to ensure that there is a market for pigs in your community.
It is no longer news that people are now finding it easier to go into bee farming. As a matter of fact, people now prefer to use honey as a sweetener as against sugar; it is safer and healthier to use honey. Honey is also highly medicinal hence the high demand for honey.
If you are looking to start a business in Oklahoma, you should consider going into bee farming; it is a profitable and thriving business venture.
If you are interested in starting a business in Oklahoma, one of your options is an ambulance services business. The Ambulance Services industry comprises both private and municipal operators that provide transportation alongside medical care for patients basically by ground.
It is important to state that a large percentage of the 20 million adults with chronic kidney disease who are undergoing dialysis hire private service providers to transport them to their appointments.
One good business you can start in Oklahoma especially if you are interested in the hospitality industry is a bed and breakfast business. A typical bed and breakfast is a small lodging accommodation that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast to guests that lodge there.
Aside from breakfast, they do not offer other meals (whether dinner or lunch). Normally, people who run bed and breakfasts make use of their private homes or their family homes. The average bed and breakfast has 6 rooms, but generally, bed and breakfasts operate 4 to 11 rooms within a facility.
It is important to state that building a standard family entertainment center can be expensive but you can rest assured that you will make your money within a few years of launching the business.
The fact that you are going to secure a facility big enough to accommodate the activities and services you intend to offer, means that you must truly be prepared for this business. If your family entertainment facility is of high standard, you will attract loads of people, especially on weekends and special holidays.
A property development company, no doubt is another money-making business idea that an investor can start in Oklahoma. The property development industry is a many-sided business that covers all aspects of activities ranging from acquiring raw land to selling, renting, or leasing of fully finished and furnished properties.
In essence, developers are responsible for turning ideas into real properties; i.e., they acquire land, they finance real estate deals, they engage in building projects and they sell, rent, lease, and manage properties on behalf of their clients.
Another fantastic and profitable business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is a house-flipping company. House flipping is all about purchasing a property that is put up for sale, renovating the property, and then reselling the property with the sole aim of making money.
Usually, house flippers sell the home at a price that will cover both all the expenses incurred and provide enough profit to compensate for the time invested in the deal.
An event planning company is perhaps one of the most popular event management-related business ideas an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma.
Event planning is all about helping corporate organizations, governments, groups, and individuals plan and execute their events from start to finish. An event planner ensures that they work with the stipulated budget of the organization or individual and ensure that they deliver a successful event as agreed.
Similar to event planning is the wedding planning business. Wedding planners organize and design marriage ceremonies and receptions.
Wedding planning is a business that anyone with the necessary soft skills (i.e., organizing skills) can venture in. Wedding planning requires that you take off the burden of planning a wedding from the shoulders of your clients.
The food truck business is yet another great business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma. The food truck concept is gaining more ground in the United States in recent years, and they are known to sell gourmet cuisine and a variety of specialties and ethnic menus.
Little wonder food trucks, and other portable food kiosks and food carts, are on the front line of the street food industry and they serve an estimated 2.5 billion people daily. Food trucks are no longer limited to the sale of ice creams, hot dogs, snow cones, and tacos, they now sell any type of food as long as there is a market for such food.
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Open a Food Hub
Another business that an aspiring entrepreneur can successfully start in Oklahoma and make good money from is opening a food hub.
A food hub, as defined by the USDA, is “a centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products. Food hubs also fill gaps in food systems infrastructure, such as transportation, product storage, and product processing.
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Open a Frozen Food Store
Opening a frozen food store where healthy frozen foods can be retailed is yet another thriving and profitable business idea that an aspiring entrepreneur should consider starting in Oklahoma. A frozen food store is a retail outlet where different frozen foods are sold.
It is a business that can be started in any location in Oklahoma and it is open to all and sundry as long as you have the drive to run the business. Starting a frozen food store is very easy and it is not so capital-intensive.
Opening a fruit juice bar is another cool and popular business idea that an entrepreneur can successfully start in Oklahoma.
Fruit juice bar is a business that requires little training and skills to set up and manage. If you are looking towards starting this type of business, and you don’t have the skills, you can quickly learn the skills. It is likely not going to take you more than a week to learn how to make different types of fresh fruit juice or even smoothies.
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Open a Seafood Store
Another thriving business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is a seafood store. Seafood is any type of sea life regarded as food by humans. Seafood includes fish, shellfish, and roe. Shellfish include various species of mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms.
Historically, sea mammals such as whales and dolphins have been consumed as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times.
Starting a vending-related business is one sure way of leveraging technology and retailing to make money. A vending machine business is a retail business that does not require face-to-face interaction with customers and can be run for 24 hours a day depending on the location.
This business is one that offers operators flexibility because it can be tailored to suit the lifestyle of the owner, thereby creating a balance between work, life, and family.
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Start a Tea Party Business
Another good business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is a tea party business. A tea party is a gathering for a small meal called afternoon tea.
Formal tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestige utensils, such as porcelain, bone china, or silver. The table is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates. In addition to tea, larger parties may provide punch, or in cold weather, hot chocolate.
The tea is accompanied by a variety of foods that are easy to manage while in a sitting room: thin sandwiches, such as cucumber or tomato, cake slices, buns or rolls, cookies, biscuits, and scones are all common.
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Start Tractors Rental Business
The fact that Oklahoma is among the top agricultural states in the United States means that tractors are in high demand in the state. There are some farmers or construction contractors who don’t own their own tractors and what they usually do if they intend to carry out farming activities is to rent the tractors.
So, if you live around construction sites or mechanized farming communities in Oklahoma, and you intend to start a business, one of your best options is to go into the tractor rental business. The truth is that this type of business is highly profitable and thriving in mechanized communities.
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Open Tractors, Maintenance, Servicing and Repair Workshop
The fact that tractors are usually subjected to wear and tear makes the tractor maintenance, servicing, and repair business a viable business idea that can be started in a farming community or in and around a construction site in Oklahoma.
If you have an engineering background and you are looking towards starting a business in Oklahoma, then one of your options is to open a business that specifically repairs, services, and maintains different types of tractors.
Another good business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is a taxi services business. With just a car, an entrepreneur can successfully launch his tax business.
As a matter of fact, with hard work and dedication, a serious-minded entrepreneur can grow his taxi business from just one taxi to a fleet of taxis. Taxi business is a profitable business in Oklahoma and the United States of America.
A waste disposal services business is another thriving and profitable business idea that an entrepreneur should consider starting in Oklahoma.
If you are thinking of starting your own waste disposal business, then you should not only look for business from the private sector, but you can also approach the government to negotiate for waste disposal transportation contracts especially if you live in a community where they contract waste transportation to private companies.
Auto repair business is among the highly thriving and profitable easy-to-set-up auto services-related business ideas to start in Oklahoma.
All over the world, car repair is one business that never goes into extinction. This is because daily, fleets of cars are being added to the garages of people and so whether it is a brand-new car or a fairly used one, you can be sure that sometime in the future car repair will be inevitable.
Another easy-to-establish but highly thriving and profitable business an entrepreneur should consider starting in Oklahoma is a car wash business.
The market for a car wash is driven by the purchase of cars and the increase in consumers’ spending – in essence, as the general economy of a country grows, more people will buy cars and more people will patronize the services of car wash on a regular basis especially if their driving habits encourages them to do so.
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Car Tracker Installation and Repair Business
Another trending and highly thriving and profitable business idea that an entrepreneur can start in Oklahoma is a car tracker installation and repair business.
Global statistics show that the need for tracking systems in cars is on the increase because of how efficient it has proven to be and as a matter of fact most transport operating companies won’t allow their cars to start plying the roads until they have been installed a vehicle tracking system on it.
Since the car tracking systems came into existence, it has become very easy for fleet operators to comfortably manage their fleet of vehicles.
Opening a car dealership shop might be capital-intensive, but at the same time, it is a thriving and profitable business especially if the business is well positioned.
A car is a necessity hence people who can afford a car will do all they can to ensure that they have at least a reliable car. There are also car freaks who ensure that they change their cars regularly especially if there is a new edition of their favorite car make.
This goes to show that no matter the part of the world where you start this type of business, you will always have customers.
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Start an Auditing Firm
If you are a chartered accountant and you are looking towards starting your own business in Oklahoma, then one of your best options is to start an auditing firm. There is a pretty large market for auditing firms; there are loads of organizations out there who are willing to hire external auditors to help them audit their accounts.
No doubt if your auditing firm is well-positioned and you are good at networking and marketing, you will definitely secure loads of auditing contracts.
The retail pharmacy business is one of the thriving and profitable businesses an entrepreneur with the required educational qualifications and experience can start in Oklahoma.
Any entrepreneur (investor) who has a plan to start his or her own retail pharmacy business must comply with the Regulation of Retail Pharmacy Businesses that was passed into law in 2008. Other requirements that they are expected to comply with are requirements that relate to staff, premises, equipment, and procedures are also stipulated.
Property management which is a subset of the real estate industry is perhaps one of the easiest and affordable real estate businesses to start. In a nutshell, property management companies are responsible for taking care of and managing buildings and other real estate properties for individuals (landlords) or for groups of owners.
No doubt, if an aspiring entrepreneur who intends to start his or her own property management business in Oklahoma has the right connections, networks, and managerial skills, and takes delight in managing real estate for clients, then he or she is going to find property management business very rewarding and lucrative.