South Dakota Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Alexandria, South Dakota

Need help starting a business in Alexandria, South Dakota? We've got the information you need to open a business in Alexandria.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Running your own business is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you positive you want to go into business for yourself?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Alexandria. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Fellowship of Christian Assemblies Church guide or our How to Start a Private Detectives Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Alexandria. Some businesses will do better in Alexandria than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Alexandria demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Alexandria, South Dakota Demographic Information

Alexandria has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Alexandria demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Alexandria.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
468
5-9 Employees
216
10-19 Employees
108
20-49 Employees
0
50-99 Employees
0
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Alexandria Businesses
792

As a new Alexandria entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Alexandria for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
2
Meat Markets
1
Offices of Lawyers
1
Petroleum Refineries
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Alexandria businesses and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as The Disadvantages of Franchise Ownership. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Showhomes of America and DVDPlay. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cleaning and Maintenance Franchises and Personal Services Franchises.

Note on Alexandria Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Alexandria.

Selecting a Name For Your Startup

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Alexandria, it's critical that you ensure that no South Dakota company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Alexandria, South Dakota, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby South Dakota universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Alexandria networking organizations.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Alexandria, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Alexandria and elsewhere to achieve real success. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Alexandria, South Dakota

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Alexandria.

More Business Startup Guides for South Dakota

Starting a Business in Alcester
Starting a Business in Arlington

Browse All Business Startup Guides for South Dakota
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary