Iowa Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Carroll, Iowa

Thinking about starting a business in Carroll, Iowa? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Carroll.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Carroll. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Carroll, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2598
5-9 Employees
1089
10-19 Employees
576
20-49 Employees
558
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
90
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
27
1000+ Employees
0
All Carroll Businesses
5055

As a new Carroll entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Carroll 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Training
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
6
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
16
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Locksmiths
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
5
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
3
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Soybean Processing
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
6
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
5
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Selecting a Name For Your 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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Carroll, it's imperative that you check now that no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Carroll and advance your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Internet Advertising discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Carroll business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

The best business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Carroll, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Iowa educational institutions. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Carroll networking organizations.

Never Give Up

Most new Carroll businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Carroll 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 Carroll, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Carroll, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Carroll 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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