Illinois Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Princeton, Illinois

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Running your own business is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Princeton. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Princeton, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8610
5-9 Employees
3654
10-19 Employees
1806
20-49 Employees
1722
50-99 Employees
252
100-249 Employees
210
250-499 Employees
168
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Princeton Businesses
16422

As a new Princeton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Princeton 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
8
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
6
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

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

Forming a Company in Princeton, Illinois

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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 Illinois, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Illinois. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Princeton, Illinois, our information on Incorporating in Illinois may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Illinois.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Selling Tips

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Effective Sales Presentations offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Princeton, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Illinois educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Princeton entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Princeton, 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.

We are here to help Princeton businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Princeton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Princeton, Illinois

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

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