Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Are you starting a business in Kenosha, Wisconsin? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Kenosha.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Kenosha. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Starting an Industrial Waste Reduction Consulting Practice guide or our How to Start a Non-Sports Trading Cards Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Kenosha. Some businesses will do better in Kenosha than others. Study Kenosha demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Kenosha, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3397
5-9 Employees
1284
10-19 Employees
984
20-49 Employees
693
50-99 Employees
213
100-249 Employees
147
250-499 Employees
21
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
12
All Kenosha Businesses
6760

As a new Kenosha entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kenosha 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
1
Ambulance Services
2
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
4
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
14
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Boat Dealers
4
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Rug Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
11
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
6
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
7
Computer Training
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
12
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Digital Printing
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Discount Department Stores
5
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
60
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Electrical Contractors
17
Elementary and Secondary Schools
12
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
9
Envelope Manufacturing
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
14
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
7
Florists
5
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
2
Food Service Contractors
5
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
77
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
8
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
11
General Automotive Repair
21
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Glass and Glazing Contractors
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
4
Heating Oil Dealers
1
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
8
Homes for the Elderly
9
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
37
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
5
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Land Subdivision
1
Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
81
Limousine Service
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
5
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Metal Heat Treating
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
3
Nail Salons
5
New Car Dealers
8
New Housing Operative Builders
8
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Office Administrative Services
8
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
15
Offices of Chiropractors
19
Offices of Dentists
52
Offices of Lawyers
41
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Optical Goods Stores
11
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
12
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
6
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
4
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Racetracks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
9
Residential Property Managers
11
Residential Remodelers
15
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
4
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
6
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Shoe Stores
11
Siding Contractors
4
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
11
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
13
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
4
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Temporary Help Services
9
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
7
Used Car Dealers
16
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
6
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
11
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Kenosha, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include ChipsAway UK and Mailboxes Etc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Video and DVD Rental Franchises and Child Photos and Portraits Franchises.

Note on Kenosha Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Kenosha.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Kenosha business will be harder than you might expect. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Kenosha entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, we have assembled a List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Kenosha business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Selling with Questions offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Kenosha entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Kenosha and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Kenosha 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 Kenosha, Wisconsin

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

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin

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Starting a Business in Kewaskum

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