I own Jackpot!, a recording studio in Portland, Oregon. There are many other recording studios in this town, including Kung Fu Bakery, Supernatural Sound, Smegma, Type Foundry, Dead Aunt Thelma's, Falcon, Mississippi, 8-Ball, MastanMusic, Audible Alchemy, Sound Impressions, Northstar, Dig/No Moving Parts, Magic Closet, Haywire and Insta-Fame to name just a few. In fact, Googling "Portland Recording Studio" turned up a number of studio names I've never heard of. There appears to be a lot of competition. But is there?
When I first opened I was wary of other studios. Understandably, I harbored a bit of an insecurity complex about my place. I had a tiny selection of oddball gear and had been recording in my basement for only a few years. Not yet a legitimate engineer, I felt that I would be perceived as someone trying to steal clients from other businesses, and therefore did not reach out to any of them to announce my opening or make contacts.