Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Monroe, Wisconsin

Need help starting a business in Monroe, Wisconsin? We've got the information you need to open a business in Monroe.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Monroe. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Monroe, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
11235
5-9 Employees
5625
10-19 Employees
3105
20-49 Employees
1395
50-99 Employees
810
100-249 Employees
405
250-499 Employees
180
500-999 Employees
90
1000+ Employees
0
All Monroe Businesses
22845

As a new Monroe entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Monroe 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
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
9
Bowling Centers
1
Breweries
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Custom Roll Forming
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
12
Electrical Contractors
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
1
Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
16
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
15
Janitorial Services
2
Landscaping Services
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
5
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Monroe, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Most business experts recommend that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying an Existing Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Comfort Keepers and Lighthouse Landscape Lighting. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Environmental Testing Franchises and IT Franchises.

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

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Monroe, it's critical that you ensure that no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Monroe 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 Business Cash Advances.

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

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Monroe, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Monroe and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Monroe, Wisconsin

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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