Are you starting a business in Alton, Illinois? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Alton.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur 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.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Alton. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Alton, Illinois Demographic Information
Alton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Alton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Alton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
10038 |
| 5-9 Employees |
4326 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3003 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1806 |
| 50-99 Employees |
630 |
| 100-249 Employees |
378 |
| 250-499 Employees |
84 |
| 500-999 Employees |
63 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Alton Businesses |
20328 |
As a new Alton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Alton 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
5 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Casinos (except Casino Hotels) |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
13 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
7 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
9 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Custom Roll Forming |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
3 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
26 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
| Explosives Manufacturing |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
11 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
6 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
5 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
5 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
23 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
6 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
9 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
6 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
5 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonclay Refractory Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
12 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
22 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
29 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
5 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
7 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
3 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
3 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
13 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
9 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Steel Wire Drawing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
5 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Alton, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Most business experts recommend that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Before Buying a Franchise. 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 Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas and Erik's DeliCafe Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and Cell Phone Franchises.
Note on Alton Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Alton, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Alton Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Alton.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Marketing Your New Startup
Whether your goal is to attract Alton customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Working with an Advertising Agency 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.
The Art of Selling
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Alton business to do well.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Hiring Good Sales People offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
The best entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Alton, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Alton networking organizations.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Alton 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.
We are here to help Alton businesses to be successful. 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 Alton, Illinois
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Alton.
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