Start a New Business in North Dakota

Business incentives, government accessibility, and workforce performance, combined with North Dakota's favorable position as one of the lowest cost states for operating a business, are driving entrepreneurs to establish operations in North Dakota.

State support resources include:

• Bank of North Dakota

• Business Assistance

• Business Forms and Licenses

• Economic Development and Finance

• Incentives and Funding

• International Trade Assistance

• Native American Development Center

• Minority Certification

• Patents and Trademarks

• Workforce Safety, Insurance, and Training

600 East Boulevard
Bismarck, North Dakota 58503
Phone: 1-866-432-5682

State of North Dakota Starting or Expanding Business website

The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office is the first place to go to register your business’ name and protect it as a viable business entity.

Actual business creation starts here with resources like:

• Business Records Search

• Business Structures Explained

• Business Entity Statistics

• Trade Name / Franchise Name

• Trademark / Service Mark

• Copyright

• Patent

• Business Services FAQs

Secretary of State
State of North Dakota
600 E Boulevard Avenue
Dept 108
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Phone: 701-328-2900

North Dakota Secretary of State Business Services website

The North Dakota Small Business Administration provides services to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners alike. SBA services include funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery. They can also connect you to partner organizations, lenders, and other community groups that help small businesses succeed.

The North Dakota SBA District Office in Fargo serves the entire state of North Dakota.

657 2nd Avenue North
Room 360
Fargo, North Dakota 58108
Phone: 701-239-5131

North Dakota Small Business Administration SBA website

The North Dakota Women’s Business Center (ND WBC) is the leading voice, resource, and partner for women business owners throughout the state.

With teams located in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Wahpeton, and Williston, ND WBC is accessible to the state’s women-owned businesses through in-person and virtual one-on-one business coaching services, technical training, and intensive development programs.

3550 38th Avenue South
Suite G
Fargo, North Dakota 58104
Phone: 701-223-0707

North Dakota Women’s Business Center website

In addition to the Women’s Business Center in Fargo, North Dakota Women’s Business Centers are also located in Bismarck, Grand Forks, Wahpeton, and Williston.

North Dakota Small Business Development Centers power the creation, growth, and success of small business in North Dakota. Their professional business advisors have years of experience and know what it takes to start a business and operate it successfully.

Have an idea and not sure what the next step is? Have you started on a business plan, but need some help with market research? They can help with that and more.

• Start-up Logistics

• Feasibility Analysis

• Purchase or Sale of a Business

• Business Plans

• Financial Projections and Budgeting

• Market Research and Marketing Advice

If you have an existing business and are seeking to expand or improve your operations, certified advisors are available to help.

• Market Research and Marketing Advice

• Purchasing/Selling a Business

• Exit and Succession Planning

• Government Contracting

• Exporting

• Cybersecurity

• Workforce Issues

North Dakota SBDC Lead Center
University of North Dakota
Nistler Hall 322
3125 University Avenue Stop 7308
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202
Phone: 701-777-3700

North Dakota Small Business Development Centers website

Additional ND SBDC centers are located in Bismarck, Bowman, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo/Southeast Region, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston.

SCORE offers women entrepreneurs key resources to build on their strengths and provide new avenues to success. SCORE also provides free and confidential business advice from female mentors, many of them successful women small business owners, who are ready to help you achieve your business goals.

Resources created especially for women business owners include "Women In Leadership, Journey to the Top," "Insight for Women in Business from Women Entrepreneurs," "Should You Get Certified as a Woman-Owned. Veteran-Owned or Minority-Owned Business?"

SCORE West-Central North Dakota in Bismarck serves all West and Central North Dakota counties with offices in Bismarck, Minot, Jamestown, and Dickinson.

SCORE Grand Forks serves the Greater Grand Forks region.

SCORE Prairie and Lakes serves Southeastern North Dakota and West Central Minnesota.

SCORE West-Central North Dakota
1200 Memorial Highway
PO Box 5509
Bismarck, North Dakota 58506
Phone: 701-328-5861

SCORE West-Central North Dakota website

SCORE Grand Forks
4200 James Ray Drive
Suite 202
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58203
Phone: 701-746-5851

SCORE Grand Forks website

SCORE Prairie and Lakes
1854 NDSU Research Circle North
Suite 5
Fargo, North Dakota 58102
Phone: 701-239-5677

SCORE Prairie and Lakes website

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps small businesses get the funding they need. Funding resources include:

• Loans: Start or expand your business with loans guaranteed by the SBA.

• Investment capital: Find an investor for your business. Investors make both debt and equity investments.

• Disaster assistance: Get help after a disaster with low-interest disaster loans.

• Surety bonds: Protect your work and your client with an SBA-guaranteed surety bond.

• Grants: Look for government grants that help businesses do scientific research and development.

United States Small Business Administration Funding Sources

Whether you’re starting out or scaling up, North Dakota has financial packages and tax incentives to assist new and expanding businesses to enhance profitability. The state has specifically designed its business and investment programs to deliver quicker, quality service along with more capital during a company's start-up, expansion or relocation.

North Dakota provides a collaborative effort between federal, state, and private sector resources with convenient access to over 15 financial assistance programs.

Tools and resources include:

• Bank of North Dakota

• Business Incentives Database

• Corporate Income Tax Exemptions

• Incentive Certification Forms

• Local Economic Development Programs

• North Dakota Development Fund

• Property Tax Exemptions

• Public Finance Authority

• Renaissance Zones

• Research Expense Credit

• Sales and Use Tax Exemptions

• State Tax Commissioner

• Tax Incentives for Business

• USDA/SBA Programs

State of North Dakota
600 East Boulevard
Bismarck, North Dakota 58503

North Dakota Incentives and Funding website

North Dakota State University’s College of Business is positioned at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, institutions, and trade.

The College’s Business Connections Program is open to any current NDSU College of Business student. The mentoring relationship developed during this program is designed to help students expand upon their classroom knowledge and benefit from the exchange of ideas with established business professionals. The program aims to provide students with valuable, hands-on opportunities to test their classroom knowledge and skills in real-world situations. It also helps students create strong connections in the business community, contributing to their ability to compete successfully in the workforce.

1340 Administration Avenue
Fargo, North Dakota 58102
Phone: 701-231-8011

North Dakota State University College of Business website

The College of Business will educate, challenge, mentor, and inspire you during your pursuit of a business education. A variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered on campus and online to give you the flexibility you need.

Whether you want to own your own company or manage a family-owned business, the University’s Bachelor of Science degree in entrepreneurship sets you on a path to success. You will gain a solid educational foundation from successful entrepreneurs and professors who teach you how to locate, manage, and grow resources that will aid in the creation and growth of a business. You will also engage in activities that focus on product or service development, start-up funding, purchasing and distribution issues, and client-based development.

To demonstrate learned skills, you will complete an entrepreneurial project and develop an entrepreneurial portfolio. The project and portfolio can help a prospective lender, investor, or employer see how you applied theory in real-world activities.

The University also offer an entrepreneurship minor or certificate of entrepreneurship to fit your needs best.

500 University Avenue West
Minot, North Dakota 58707
Phone: 1-800-777-0750

Minot State University College of Business website

Fargo INC! focuses on the unique business community in Fargo-Moorhead and provides exclusive resources and profiles of local professionals. Fargo INC! is a monthly business magazine published in Fargo, ND, that illuminates important and timely stories of the Fargo-Moorhead business community.

4609 33rd Avenue South
Suite 304
Fargo, North Dakota 58102

Fargo INC! Mgazine website

The Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Report is a quarterly publication specializing in the space between government and private business, covering topics that are impacted by and impacting public policy and directly pertinent to the businesses of North Dakota.

The Greater North Dakota Chamber is North Dakota's oldest and largest business advocacy organization.

PO Box 2639
Bismarck, North Dakota 58502
Phone: 701-222-0929

Greater North Dakota Chamber Report on Business website

Prairie Business magazine covers business news in North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota.

Each month, Prairie Business focuses on business success and opportunities, covering topics range from the burgeoning oil industry to the rapidly growing renewable and biofuels industries, and much more. They also cover news briefs and executive updates in its Prairie News and Prairie People sections and offer the opportunity for local business leaders to publish a guest column.

3535 South 31st Street
Suite 205
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58201
Phone: 701-780-1100

Prairie Business Magazine website