Illinois Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Geneseo, Illinois

Contemplating starting a business in Geneseo, Illinois? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Geneseo.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Concrete Contractors Business guide or our How to Start a Private Detectives Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Geneseo has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Geneseo than others. Make sure you fully understand Geneseo demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Geneseo, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1548
5-9 Employees
585
10-19 Employees
261
20-49 Employees
279
50-99 Employees
90
100-249 Employees
45
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
9
All Geneseo Businesses
2826

As a new Geneseo entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Geneseo 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
2
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Engineering Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Historical Sites
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
2
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Mail-Order Houses
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
5
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
7
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Payroll Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
5
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Small Arms Manufacturing
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3

Naming the Company

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

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

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Geneseo, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Illinois business.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Mistakes. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Geneseo customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Promoting an Online Business is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Geneseo, Illinois, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Geneseo entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Geneseo businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Geneseo 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 Geneseo, Illinois

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

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