Nebraska Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Lincoln, Nebraska
Need help starting a business in Lincoln, Nebraska? We've got the information you need to open a business in Lincoln.
What Business Are You Starting?
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 Evaluating Your Idea.
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 a Jewelry Mountings Business guide or our Opening a Bridal Supplies Retail Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Lincoln has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Lincoln. Make sure you fully understand Lincoln demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Lincoln, Nebraska Demographic Information
Lincoln has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lincoln demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lincoln.
Businesses
As a new Lincoln entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lincoln 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
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Lincoln, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising My Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Grout Wizard and Altoids Gum Vending Machines by Candy King. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Restaurant Franchises and Donut Shop Franchises.
Note on Lincoln Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Lincoln.
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Lincoln, it's very important that you make sure no Nebraska company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Nebraska.
Marketing Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Lincoln customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Internet Advertising is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Lincoln, Nebraska, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Nebraska universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Lincoln networking organizations.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Lincoln. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Lincoln 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 Lincoln, Nebraska
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lincoln.
- Resources for Lincoln, Nebraska Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lincoln entrepreneurs.
- Nebraska Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Nebraska.
- Nebraska Small Business Development Center - Nebraska Small Business Development Centers provided start-up, management and technical assistance to Nebraska entrepreneurs and Nebraska small business owners from offices throughout the state.
More Business Startup Guides for Nebraska
Starting a Business in Lexington
Starting a Business in Loup City
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Nebraska
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs