Wisconsin Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Cambridge, Wisconsin
Are you starting a business in Cambridge, Wisconsin? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Cambridge.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Cambridge. 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.
Cambridge, Wisconsin Demographic Information
Cambridge has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Cambridge demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Cambridge.
Businesses
As a new Cambridge entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cambridge 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
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Cambridge, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Detecting Franchising Scams. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Service Team of Professionals and The Ground Pat'I Grill and Bar. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Interior Environment Franchises.
Note on Cambridge Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Cambridge.
Forming a Company in Cambridge, Wisconsin
A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be 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 Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Cambridge, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.
Marketing Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Cambridge customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Branding Advice is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Selling Tips
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Cambridge or are selling to customers throughout Wisconsin, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Good Sales Strategies is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Cambridge. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cambridge 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 Cambridge, Wisconsin
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Cambridge.
- Resources for Cambridge, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cambridge entrepreneurs.
- Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wisconsin.
- Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers offer a variety of educational services to small-businesses. The low-cost courses, seminars, and workshops cover both basic and complex topics, from marketing to management techniques to business plan development.
More Startup Articles for Wisconsin Cities
Starting a Business in Cadott
Starting a Business in Campbellsport
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs