Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Waunakee, Wisconsin

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Waunakee. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Waunakee, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
686
5-9 Employees
210
10-19 Employees
159
20-49 Employees
99
50-99 Employees
33
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Waunakee Businesses
1217

As a new Waunakee entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Waunakee 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
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
13
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
7
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
1
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Political Organizations
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Remediation Services
1
Residential Remodelers
13
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
1
Veterinary Services
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Waunakee businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Versus Business Opportunity. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Triboro Staffing and Zyng. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Flooring Franchises and Mexican Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Waunakee Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Waunakee.

Naming the Company

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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Waunakee, it's very important that you make sure no Wisconsin company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Waunakee, Wisconsin

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

When forming a company, you will choose from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Waunakee, Wisconsin, our web page covering Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Waunakee 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. Advertising on the Web is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Waunakee, Wisconsin, you should check out some of the learning programs at local Wisconsin educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking organizations for Waunakee entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Waunakee and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Waunakee, Wisconsin

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Wisconsin

Starting a Business in Waukesha
Starting a Business in Waupaca

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
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