Illinois Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Aurora, Illinois

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

Aurora, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
75330
5-9 Employees
26910
10-19 Employees
19755
20-49 Employees
13635
50-99 Employees
5850
100-249 Employees
3825
250-499 Employees
630
500-999 Employees
360
1000+ Employees
180
All Aurora Businesses
146475

As a new Aurora entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Aurora 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
3
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
3
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
8
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
5
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
12
Automotive Transmission Repair
7
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
26
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
13
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
31
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
8
Civic and Social Organizations
17
Clothing Accessories Stores
7
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
5
Commercial Lithographic Printing
11
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
3
Computer Systems Design Services
40
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
3
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
2
Consumer Lending
9
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Unions
7
Crown and Closure Manufacturing
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
37
Custom Roll Forming
3
Dental Laboratories
3
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Document Preparation Services
6
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
22
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
12
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
40
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
13
Envelope Manufacturing
1
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
36
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
14
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
22
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
7
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
9
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
3
Full-Service Restaurants
79
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
13
General Automotive Repair
38
General Freight Trucking, Local
29
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
11
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
5
Graphic Design Services
9
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
5
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
3
Home Health Care Services
7
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
7
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
46
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Service Providers
6
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
6
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Iron Foundries
1
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
26
Jewelry Stores
25
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
33
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
93
Limousine Service
8
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
12
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
13
Masonry Contractors
9
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
10
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
10
Nursing Care Facilities
10
Office Administrative Services
10
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
10
Offices of Chiropractors
24
Offices of Dentists
77
Offices of Lawyers
62
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
22
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
4
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
6
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
18
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
6
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
9
Residential Remodelers
25
Retail Bakeries
4
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
12
Sales Financing
1
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Schiffli Machine Embroidery
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
3
Securities Brokerage
17
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
34
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
22
Software Publishers
3
Software Reproducing
1
Solid Waste Collection
5
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
9
Tax Preparation Services
10
Taxi Service
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
28
Temporary Shelters
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Vending Machine Operators
5
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Web Search Portals
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
23
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
38
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
5

Is Buying an Existing Aurora Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Aurora.

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

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Aurora, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Illinois business.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Aurora business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 Aurora entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Aurora customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Effective Direct Mail Campaigns is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Aurora business, you need to focus on sales.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Closing Sales is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Aurora, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Aurora 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 Aurora, Illinois

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

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