Minnesota Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Owatonna, Minnesota
Thinking about starting a business in Owatonna, Minnesota? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Owatonna.
Owatonna, Minnesota Demographic Information
Owatonna has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Owatonna demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Owatonna.
Businesses
As a new Owatonna entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Owatonna 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
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Owatonna, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Assist-2-Sell and Dream Dinners. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Sports Restaurant Franchises and Auto Rental Franchises.
Note on Owatonna Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Owatonna.
Choosing a Company Name
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.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
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 Owatonna, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Minnesota business.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Raising money to fund your new Owatonna business 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.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Angel Investors.
For Owatonna entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Minnesota Angel Investors and our List of Minnesota Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Owatonna customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Avoiding Bad Product Launches discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Never Give Up
Most new Owatonna businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Owatonna businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Owatonna, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Owatonna, Minnesota
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Owatonna.
- Resources for Owatonna, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Owatonna 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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