Indiana Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Wabash, Indiana

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good 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 How to Start a Coated Fabrics Retail Business guide or our How to Start a Musical Instruments Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Remember that your new business will be in Wabash. Some businesses will do better in Wabash than others. Don't forget to review Wabash demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Wabash, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
732
5-9 Employees
315
10-19 Employees
189
20-49 Employees
120
50-99 Employees
45
100-249 Employees
42
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Wabash Businesses
1458

As a new Wabash entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wabash 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beauty Salons
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
3
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
4
Family Clothing Stores
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Office Machinery Manufacturing
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
12
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Paperboard Mills
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
8
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Choosing a Business Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Wabash, it's very important that you make sure no other Indiana company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Wabash, Indiana

A critical step is ensuring that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating 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. Just because you are starting a business in Indiana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Indiana. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Wabash, Indiana, our information on Incorporating in Indiana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Indiana.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Presentations. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Indiana.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Wabash, Indiana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Indiana educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Wabash networking organizations.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Wabash. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wabash, Indiana

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

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Starting a Business in Wakarusa

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