Start a Business in Buffalo, Minnesota

Thinking about starting a business in Buffalo, Minnesota? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Buffalo.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 an Air Conditioning Parts & Supplies Business guide or our How to Start a Concert Bureaus Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Buffalo has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Buffalo. Only by spending some time analyzing Buffalo demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Buffalo, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	16898
5-9 Employees	4746
10-19 Employees	2142
20-49 Employees	1848
50-99 Employees	672
100-249 Employees	294
250-499 Employees	84
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Buffalo Businesses	26684

As a new Buffalo entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Buffalo 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Automotive Transmission Repair	2
Beauty Salons	11
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	2
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	4
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing	1
Collection Agencies	2
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	5
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	4
Deep Sea Freight Transportation	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Discount Department Stores	2
Document Preparation Services	1
Drafting Services	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	5
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	13
Engineering Services	4
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	4
Florists	2
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Framing Contractors	3
Full-Service Restaurants	13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	7
General Freight Trucking, Local	5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	17
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	1
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	6
Jewelry Stores	1
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	15
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	17
Locksmiths	1
Machine Shops	2
Mail-Order Houses	2
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	6
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	5
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	3
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	7
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	10
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Packing and Crating	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	12
Roofing Contractors	5
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Seafood Canning	1
Securities Brokerage	5
Sewage Treatment Facilities	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	4
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Solid Waste Collection	4
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	2
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	4
Travel Agencies	3
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Merchandise Stores	3
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Forming a Company in Buffalo, Minnesota

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Minnesota, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Minnesota. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Buffalo, Minnesota, our information on Incorporating in Minnesota may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Minnesota.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Buffalo business is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Buffalo entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Minnesota Angel Investors and our List of Minnesota Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Buffalo, Minnesota, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Minnesota universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking organizations for Buffalo entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Buffalo and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Buffalo 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 Buffalo, Minnesota

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

• Resources for Buffalo, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Buffalo 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.
• Buffalo, Minnesota Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Buffalo, Minnesota newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Buffalo area.
• Buffalo, Minnesota Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Buffalo, Minnesota area radio stations.

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