Minnesota Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Mankato, Minnesota
Need help starting a business in Mankato, Minnesota? We've got the information you need to open a business in Mankato.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, 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 Opening a Cosmetic Tattoos Business guide or our How to Start a Laundries Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Mankato. If Mankato already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Mankato demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Mankato, Minnesota Demographic Information
Mankato has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Mankato demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Mankato.
Businesses
As a new Mankato entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mankato 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
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Mankato, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
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.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Sample franchise opportunities include Elmer's Breakfast*Lunch*Dinner and Filtafry. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Baby Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.
Note on Mankato Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Mankato.
Naming the Business
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 Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Mankato, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Minnesota business.
Forming a Company in Mankato, Minnesota
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Minnesota, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Minnesota. In fact, you can 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Mankato, Minnesota, our web page covering Incorporating in Minnesota may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Minnesota.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Mankato or are selling to customers throughout Minnesota, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Compensating Sales People is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Mankato. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Mankato 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 Mankato, Minnesota
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Mankato.
- Resources for Mankato, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Mankato entrepreneurs.
- Minnesota Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Minnesota.
- Minnesota Small Business Development Center - The Minnesota Small Business Development Centers provide no-cost, professional business consulting to Minnesota small businesses covering a variety of business needs.
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