Illinois Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Benton, Illinois
Thinking about starting a business in Benton, Illinois? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Benton.
Benton, Illinois Demographic Information
Benton has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Benton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Benton.
Businesses
As a new Benton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Benton 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Benton, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Marketing Support. 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 Planet Popolicious Franchises and Maui Wowi Fresh Hawaiian Blends. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Fitness Franchises and Insurance Franchises.
Note on Benton Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Benton.
Selecting a Name For Your Startup
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
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 Benton, it's very important that you make sure no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.
The Role of the Business Plan
A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, 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 writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Benton business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Investor Turnoffs.
For Benton entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Benton customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Comparing Advertising to PR is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Benton, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Benton networking organizations.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Benton. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Benton and throughout the United States . 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 Benton, Illinois
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Benton.
- Resources for Benton, Illinois Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Benton entrepreneurs.
- Illinois Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Illinois.
- Illinois Small Business Development Center - Illinois Small Business Development Centers located throughout the state provide assistance to new and existing small businesses.
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