Thinking about starting a business in Burlington, Wisconsin? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Burlington.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Burlington. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read 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 How to Start an Infrared Spectroscopy Testing Laboratories Business guide or our Starting a Wood & Wood Products Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Burlington has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Burlington than others. Make sure you fully understand Burlington demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Burlington, Wisconsin Demographic Information
Burlington has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Burlington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Burlington.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
19566 |
| 5-9 Employees |
7938 |
| 10-19 Employees |
4482 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2700 |
| 50-99 Employees |
1080 |
| 100-249 Employees |
540 |
| 250-499 Employees |
162 |
| 500-999 Employees |
54 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Burlington Businesses |
36522 |
As a new Burlington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Burlington 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 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Beauty Salons |
9 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
11 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
5 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
14 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
6 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Glass Container Manufacturing |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
9 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
20 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
10 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
8 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
6 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
10 |
| Roofing Contractors |
7 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Siding Contractors |
4 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
8 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Surface-Coated Paperboard Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
The Role of the Business Plan
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Burlington business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Burlington entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Company
To grow your Burlington business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.
We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Buying Radio Ads is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Burlington, Wisconsin, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Burlington networking organizations.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Burlington. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Burlington and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Burlington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Burlington, Wisconsin
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Burlington.
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