Iowa Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Anamosa, Iowa

Are you starting a business in Anamosa, Iowa? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Anamosa.

Anamosa, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
326
5-9 Employees
126
10-19 Employees
75
20-49 Employees
18
50-99 Employees
27
100-249 Employees
3
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Anamosa Businesses
575

As a new Anamosa entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Anamosa 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
2
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Landscaping Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
3
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Tire Dealers
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Anamosa, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Mr. Plant and Dreamland BBQ Ribs. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bookstore Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Anamosa Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Anamosa, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Naming the Business

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Anamosa, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Iowa business.

Forming a Company in Anamosa, Iowa

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will choose from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Iowa, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Iowa. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Anamosa, Iowa, our web page covering Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.

Marketing Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Anamosa customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Anamosa. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Anamosa and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Anamosa entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Anamosa, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Anamosa, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Anamosa entrepreneurs.
  • Iowa Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Iowa.
  • Iowa Small Business Development Center - The Iowa SBDC conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses. They provide comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields. This is a great resource for Iowa entrepreneurs!

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