Iowa Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Glenwood, Iowa

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most startup businesses don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Glenwood. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Bamboo & Woven Wood Products & Furnishings Business guide or our Opening a Catalog & Brochure Designers & Compilers Business guide.

Remember that Glenwood is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Glenwood than others. A critical consideration is whether Glenwood demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Glenwood, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3240
5-9 Employees
972
10-19 Employees
432
20-49 Employees
378
50-99 Employees
54
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Glenwood Businesses
5130

As a new Glenwood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Glenwood 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
Ambulance Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
6
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Mobile Food Services
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Software Publishers
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Glenwood Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Iowa. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Glenwood.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Raising Capital for Your Company

Getting your Glenwood business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.

For Glenwood entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Glenwood, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Iowa educational institutions. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Glenwood entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Glenwood and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Glenwood 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 Glenwood, Iowa

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

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Iowa

Starting a Business in Gladbrook
Starting a Business in Glidden

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Iowa
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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