Contemplating starting a business in Ankeny, Iowa? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Ankeny.
Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?
An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you want to start a business?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ankeny. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Ankeny, Iowa Demographic Information
Ankeny has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ankeny demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ankeny.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1583 |
| 5-9 Employees |
489 |
| 10-19 Employees |
417 |
| 20-49 Employees |
252 |
| 50-99 Employees |
96 |
| 100-249 Employees |
45 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Ankeny Businesses |
2903 |
As a new Ankeny entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ankeny 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 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
|
Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
|
Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
8 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
|
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
9 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
|
Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
7 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
4 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
|
Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
|
Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Management Services |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
5 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
8 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
8 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
|
Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
13 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
4 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
1 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
6 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
4 |
|
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
6 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
5 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
|
Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
22 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
|
Janitorial Services |
8 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
16 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
32 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
5 |
|
Machine Shops |
3 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
|
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
5 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
5 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
|
Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
8 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
11 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
8 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
|
Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
|
Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
4 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
2 |
|
Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
4 |
|
Residential Remodelers |
10 |
| Roofing Contractors |
5 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
4 |
|
Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Spice and Extract Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
6 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
|
Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
|
Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
13 |
|
Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Ankeny, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying an Existing 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.
Sample franchise opportunities include The Leasing Institute of America and Entrees Made Easy. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.
Note on Ankeny Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Ankeny.
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Ankeny, it's critical that you ensure that no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Ankeny business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.
For Ankeny entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Ankeny, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Iowa educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any Ankeny networking organizations.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Ankeny, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Ankeny businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ankeny 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 Ankeny, Iowa
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ankeny.
- Resources for Ankeny, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ankeny entrepreneurs.
- Iowa Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Iowa.
- Iowa Small Business Development Center - The Iowa SBDC conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses. They provide comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields. This is a great resource for Iowa entrepreneurs!
- Ankeny, Iowa Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ankeny, Iowa newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ankeny area.
- Ankeny, Iowa Payroll Services - This list includes Ankeny, Iowa payroll services, national payroll services for Ankeny, and helpful information on choosing a Ankeny payroll service.
- Ankeny, Iowa Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Ankeny, Iowa, such as business brokers in Ankeny and other helpful information on how to buy a Ankeny business.
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