Indiana Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Merrillville, Indiana

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Merrillville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

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 Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 How to Start a Golf Outings Business guide or our Opening a Fire & Water Damage Restoration Equipment & Supplies Business guide.

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

Merrillville, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2105
5-9 Employees
1134
10-19 Employees
846
20-49 Employees
573
50-99 Employees
186
100-249 Employees
120
250-499 Employees
30
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
3
All Merrillville Businesses
5000

As a new Merrillville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Merrillville 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
6
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beauty Salons
19
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Book Stores
7
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Claims Adjusting
7
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
6
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
3
Consumer Lending
7
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Dental Laboratories
5
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
7
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
6
Display Advertising
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
7
Electrical Contractors
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
14
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Planning Centers
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
52
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
13
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
14
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
7
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
46
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
8
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
23
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
12
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
47
Limousine Service
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
2
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
14
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
20
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
38
Offices of Lawyers
97
Offices of Optometrists
9
Offices of Podiatrists
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
10
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
10
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil
1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
4
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Racetracks
1
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
17
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Tax Preparation Services
9
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
19

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Merrillville and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as The Franchising Process. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include American Card Products and Skyline Chili, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Senior Care Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.

Note on Merrillville Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Merrillville, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

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.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Merrillville, it's very important that you make sure no Indiana company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Obtaining startup financing for your Merrillville business will be harder than you might expect. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as 504 Loans.

For Merrillville entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Indiana Angel Investors and our List of Indiana Venture Capital Firms.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Merrillville. 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.

We are here to help Merrillville 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 Merrillville, Indiana

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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