Iowa Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Grinnell, Iowa

Need help starting a business in Grinnell, Iowa? We've got the information you need to open a business in Grinnell.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Grinnell. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Ethnic Jewelry Retail Business guide or our Opening a Polygraph & Lie Detection Services Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Grinnell. If Grinnell already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Make sure you fully understand Grinnell demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Grinnell, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1254
5-9 Employees
382
10-19 Employees
246
20-49 Employees
156
50-99 Employees
66
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
6
All Grinnell Businesses
2164

As a new Grinnell entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Grinnell 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
10
Internet Service Providers
1
Landscaping Services
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Locksmiths
1
Mobile Food Services
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Company Formation in Grinnell, Iowa

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield 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.

Incorporating 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. Just because you are starting a business in Iowa, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Iowa. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Grinnell, Iowa, our information on Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Grinnell business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Cash Advances.

For Grinnell entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Grinnell, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Iowa universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Grinnell networking organizations.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Grinnell. 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 Grinnell businesses to be successful. 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 Grinnell, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Grinnell, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Grinnell 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 Greenfield
Starting a Business in Griswold

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

 

 

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