Minnesota Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Shakopee, Minnesota

Are you starting a business in Shakopee, Minnesota? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Shakopee.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most startup ventures do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Shakopee. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Shakopee, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1488
5-9 Employees
372
10-19 Employees
342
20-49 Employees
246
50-99 Employees
102
100-249 Employees
66
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Shakopee Businesses
2649

As a new Shakopee entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Shakopee 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
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Bowling Centers
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
3
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
9
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
13
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Couriers
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
12
Digital Printing
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
10
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass Container Manufacturing
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
24
Machine Shops
5
Mail-Order Houses
1
Malt Manufacturing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
7
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Racetracks
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
4
Savings Institutions
1
Schiffli Machine Embroidery
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
1
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
2
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Tax Preparation Services
4
Temporary Help Services
5
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
5
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
5
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Women's Clothing Stores
3

What About Buying an Existing Shakopee Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Minnesota. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Shakopee.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Shakopee, it's imperative that you check now that no other Minnesota company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. 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 Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Shakopee business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

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

Moving Forward

Most new Shakopee 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 Shakopee and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Shakopee, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Shakopee, Minnesota

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Minnesota

Starting a Business in Sebeka
Starting a Business in Sherburn

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

 

 

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