Indiana Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Marion, Indiana

Thinking about starting a business in Marion, Indiana? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Marion.

Marion, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
28899
5-9 Employees
14079
10-19 Employees
9462
20-49 Employees
6726
50-99 Employees
2508
100-249 Employees
741
250-499 Employees
399
500-999 Employees
114
1000+ Employees
114
All Marion Businesses
63042

As a new Marion entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Marion 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
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
7
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
16
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Computer Training
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
13
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
4
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Family Planning Centers
3
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
4
Florists
3
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
31
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
9
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
5
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
22
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
5
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Landscaping Services
12
Limited-Service Restaurants
46
Linen Supply
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
6
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
18
Offices of Lawyers
23
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
8
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
10
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
12
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Marion and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Marketing Support. 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.

Sample franchise opportunities include Sleep Inn and Sleep Inn & Suites and Larry's Giant Subs. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Franchises that Serve Liquor and Hair Styling Franchises.

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

Picking a Company Name

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Marion, it's imperative that you check now that no other Indiana company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is essential 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. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Indiana.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Marion business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Marion entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Indiana Angel Investors and our List of Indiana Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Marion business to do well.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

The Art of Customer Referrals 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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Marion, Indiana, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Indiana universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking organizations for Marion entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Marion and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Marion, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Marion, Indiana

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

More Startup Articles for Indiana Cities

Starting a Business in Madison
Starting a Business in Martinsville

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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