Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

Contemplating starting a business in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Prairie du Chien.

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
432
5-9 Employees
188
10-19 Employees
105
20-49 Employees
90
50-99 Employees
18
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Prairie du Chien Businesses
878

As a new Prairie du Chien entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Prairie du Chien 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
Ambulance Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cement Manufacturing
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
2
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
7
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Janitorial Services
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
4
Marinas
1
Meat Markets
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Museums
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Preservation
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Prairie du Chien Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Prairie du Chien.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Wisconsin, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Wisconsin. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is critical 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. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Prairie du Chien business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Prairie du Chien entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Prairie du Chien business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Cold Call Selling 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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Prairie du Chien networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

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 Prairie du Chien and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Prairie du Chien entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

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

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin

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Starting a Business in Prescott

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