Illinois Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sandwich, Illinois

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Most new companies fail, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Sandwich. 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.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Free Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Animal Rights & Welfare Organization guide or our Opening a Combustion Controls Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Sandwich. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Sandwich. A critical consideration is whether Sandwich demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Sandwich, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1002
5-9 Employees
324
10-19 Employees
186
20-49 Employees
126
50-99 Employees
36
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Sandwich Businesses
1704

As a new Sandwich entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sandwich 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
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
4
Full-Service Restaurants
10
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
8
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Machine Shops
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
2
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Sandwich, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. 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 Real Living and Let's Make Wine. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.

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

Selecting a Name For Your 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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Sandwich, it's imperative that you check now that no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Sandwich customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Writing Contributed Articles discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Sandwich businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Sandwich and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Sandwich, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Sandwich, Illinois

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois

Starting a Business in Salem
Starting a Business in Savanna

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Illinois
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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