Minnesota Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Wadena, Minnesota

Contemplating starting a business in Wadena, Minnesota? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Wadena.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, 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:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Wadena. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Wadena, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
762
5-9 Employees
324
10-19 Employees
198
20-49 Employees
132
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Wadena Businesses
1494

As a new Wadena entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wadena 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Computer Training
2
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Hardware Stores
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Mail-Order Houses
1
Media Representatives
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Shoe Stores
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Wadena Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Minnesota. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Wadena.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Wadena business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Wadena entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Minnesota Angel Investors and our List of Minnesota Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

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

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Sponsoring Local Events discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Wadena and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wadena, Minnesota

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

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