Start a Business in Cambridge, Wisconsin

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Cambridge. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Cambridge, Wisconsin 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	4615
5-9 Employees	1092
10-19 Employees	780
20-49 Employees	117
50-99 Employees	117
100-249 Employees	39
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Cambridge Businesses	6760

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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	3
Book Stores	1
Business Associations	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Couriers	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Display Advertising	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	8
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	2
Engineering Services	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscaping Services	1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	2
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Racetracks	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Securities Brokerage	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Cambridge, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Detecting Franchising Scams. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Service Team of Professionals and The Ground Pat'I Grill and Bar. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Interior Environment Franchises.

Note on Cambridge Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Cambridge.

Forming a Company in Cambridge, Wisconsin

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Cambridge, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Cambridge customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Branding Advice is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Cambridge or are selling to customers throughout Wisconsin, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

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

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Cambridge. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cambridge 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 Cambridge, Wisconsin

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

• Resources for Cambridge, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cambridge entrepreneurs.
• Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wisconsin.
• West Virginia Small Business Development Center - The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) promotes economic development through a program of practical, interrelated services, providing assistance to existing West Virginia small businesses and the emerging West Virginia entrepreneur.
• Cambridge, Wisconsin Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cambridge, Wisconsin newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cambridge area.

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