Iowa Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Lansing, Iowa
Contemplating starting a business in Lansing, Iowa? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Lansing.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Lansing. 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.
Lansing, Iowa Demographic Information
Lansing has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lansing demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lansing.
Businesses
As a new Lansing entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lansing 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Lansing and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Detecting Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include The Children's Technology Workshop and Borvin Beverage. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Fast Food Franchises.
Note on Lansing Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Lansing.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Lansing Business?
We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Iowa. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Lansing.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
Writing a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Lansing business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 Choosing VC Firms.
For Lansing entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Lansing business, you need to focus on sales.
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 Stuff on the Web is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Lansing, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
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 Lansing 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 Lansing, Iowa
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lansing.
- Resources for Lansing, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lansing 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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