Starting a Business in Cambridge, Minnesota

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

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Prepress Services Business guide or our Opening a Wigs & Hairpieces Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Cambridge. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Cambridge. Make sure you fully understand Cambridge demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Cambridge, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8138
5-9 Employees	3276
10-19 Employees	2028
20-49 Employees	1443
50-99 Employees	546
100-249 Employees	234
250-499 Employees	78
500-999 Employees	39
1000+ Employees	0
All Cambridge Businesses	15782

As a new Cambridge entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cambridge 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	2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Beauty Salons	3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Collection Agencies	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Credit Unions	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Drafting Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	5
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Framing Contractors	4
Full-Service Restaurants	14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
General Automotive Repair	7
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	2
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Historical Sites	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	3
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	8
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	2
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	2
Landscaping Services	4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	12
Machine Shops	3
Masonry Contractors	5
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Nail Salons	2
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	8
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Plastics Bag Manufacturing	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Quick Printing	2
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	6
Roofing Contractors	2
Securities Brokerage	3
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	4
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Tax Preparation Services	2
Temporary Help Services	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	5
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Cambridge, it's critical that you ensure that no other Minnesota company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Cambridge business, you need a great marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Music on Hold is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Selling Tips

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

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Closing Sales offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Cambridge, 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 groups or organizations in which Cambridge entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Cambridge businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Cambridge 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 Cambridge, Minnesota

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

• Resources for Cambridge, Minnesota Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cambridge 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.
• Cambridge, Minnesota Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cambridge, Minnesota newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cambridge area.

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