Starting a Business in Austin, Minnesota

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

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Metal Forming Machinery Business guide or our Opening a Cylinder Heads & Blocks Rebuilding & Repairing Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Austin. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Austin. Don't forget to review Austin demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Austin, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	4950
5-9 Employees	2190
10-19 Employees	1680
20-49 Employees	945
50-99 Employees	210
100-249 Employees	180
250-499 Employees	15
500-999 Employees	30
1000+ Employees	30
All Austin Businesses	10230

As a new Austin entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Austin 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	2
Architectural Services	1
Art Dealers	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	6
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	14
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	6
Book Publishers	1
Bowling Centers	1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	10
Claims Adjusting	1
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Community Food Services	1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing	1
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	2
Credit Bureaus	1
Credit Unions	4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Discount Department Stores	2
Display Advertising	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	12
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	3
Florists	2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	21
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	4
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	13
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	3
Historical Sites	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Homes for the Elderly	3
Household Appliance Stores	3
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	15
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	2
Investment Advice	3
Janitorial Services	7
Jewelry Stores	3
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	17
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	2
Manifold Business Forms Printing	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	1
Nail Salons	2
New Car Dealers	5
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Administrative Services	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	13
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Packaging and Labeling Services	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	4
Professional Organizations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	3
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Remodelers	5
Retail Bakeries	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	3
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	3
Securities Brokerage	7
Shoe Stores	4
Siding Contractors	4
Sign Manufacturing	3
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Solid Waste Collection	1
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Tax Preparation Services	3
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Telephone Answering Services	1
Television Broadcasting	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	3
Used Car Dealers	5
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Austin businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. 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 Xtreme Sports Photography and Fresh City. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Video and DVD Rental Franchises and Child Photos and Portraits Franchises.

Note on Austin Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Austin, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Picking a Company Name

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.

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.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Austin, it's imperative that you check now that no other Minnesota company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating 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. Starting a business without a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Selling Tips

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Austin business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

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

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Austin, Minnesota, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Minnesota universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Austin entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

Most new Austin 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 Austin businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Austin, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Austin, Minnesota

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

• Resources for Austin, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Austin entrepreneurs.
• Minnesota Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Minnesota.
• Minnesota Small Business Development Center - The Minnesota Small Business Development Centers provide no-cost, professional business consulting to Minnesota small businesses covering a variety of business needs.
• Austin, Minnesota Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Austin, Minnesota newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Austin area.
• Austin, Minnesota Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Austin, Minnesota area radio stations.

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