Minnesota Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Stillwater, Minnesota
Thinking about starting a business in Stillwater, Minnesota? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Stillwater.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Corrosion Control Business guide or our Starting a Furniture Exposition Marts Business guide.
Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Stillwater. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Stillwater. Study Stillwater demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Stillwater, Minnesota Demographic Information
Stillwater has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Stillwater demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Stillwater.
Businesses
As a new Stillwater entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Stillwater 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Visit the business district of Stillwater and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Audio/Video Handyman and Hawthorn Suites. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Interior Environment Franchises.
Note on Stillwater Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Stillwater.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Stillwater 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 Stillwater.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Stillwater business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Stillwater entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Minnesota Angel Investors and our List of Minnesota Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Successful business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Stillwater, Minnesota, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Minnesota universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Stillwater entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Never Give Up
Most new Stillwater businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Stillwater businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Stillwater 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 Stillwater, Minnesota
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Stillwater.
- Resources for Stillwater, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Stillwater entrepreneurs.
- Minnesota Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Minnesota.
- Minnesota Small Business Development Center - The Minnesota Small Business Development Centers provide no-cost, professional business consulting to Minnesota small businesses covering a variety of business needs.
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