Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sauk City, Wisconsin

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is difficult, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you positive you want to start a business?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Sauk City. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Starting a Beverage Bars Rental Business guide or our Opening an Information Equipment & Systems Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Sauk City. Some businesses will do better in Sauk City than others. Make sure you fully understand Sauk City demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Sauk City, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
282
5-9 Employees
102
10-19 Employees
60
20-49 Employees
51
50-99 Employees
18
100-249 Employees
9
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Sauk City Businesses
525

As a new Sauk City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sauk City 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
5
Book Publishers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Florists
1
Full-Service Restaurants
6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Hardware Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
1
Landscaping Services
4
Linen Supply
1
Machine Shops
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
3
Paging
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

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.

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?

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Sauk City, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Wisconsin business.

Raising Funding for Your Startup

Raising money to fund your new Sauk City business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Sauk City entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Sauk City customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Sauk City, 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Sauk City and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Sauk City 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 Sauk City, Wisconsin

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

More Startup Articles for Wisconsin Cities

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Starting a Business in Seymour

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