Illinois Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Champaign, Illinois

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most startup companies fail, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Champaign. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

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 Free Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Quilting Business guide or our Starting a Linoleum Contractors Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Champaign has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Champaign than others. Study Champaign demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Champaign, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3151
5-9 Employees
1478
10-19 Employees
1026
20-49 Employees
813
50-99 Employees
315
100-249 Employees
153
250-499 Employees
45
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Champaign Businesses
6990

As a new Champaign entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Champaign 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
Amusement Arcades
1
Apprenticeship Training
3
Architectural Services
12
Art Dealers
1
Automatic Vending Machine Manufacturing
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Automotive Transmission Repair
4
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
34
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
5
Book Stores
9
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
6
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
5
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
12
Claims Adjusting
1
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
4
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
2
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Training
2
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
3
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
15
Convenience Stores
5
Couriers
4
Credit Unions
9
Custom Computer Programming Services
20
Dental Laboratories
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
33
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
10
Electronic Auctions
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
28
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
15
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
9
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Service Contractors
4
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
3
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
85
Furniture Stores
12
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
9
General Rental Centers
4
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
16
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
7
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
56
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
9
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
14
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
16
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
24
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Libraries and Archives
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
94
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
12
Masonry Contractors
7
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
2
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
6
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
6
Newspaper Publishers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
6
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Dentists
48
Offices of Lawyers
47
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
8
Optical Goods Stores
8
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
8
Photography Studios, Portrait
9
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
5
Prepress Services
2
Private Mail Centers
4
Professional Organizations
5
Quick Printing
4
Radio Networks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
7
Residential Property Managers
16
Residential Remodelers
12
Retail Bakeries
5
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
2
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
15
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Shoe Stores
18
Siding Contractors
5
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
7
Solid Waste Collection
4
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Soybean Processing
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Shelters
4
Testing Laboratories
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
8
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
3
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
11
Women's Clothing Stores
23
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Champaign Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Champaign.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Champaign business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Champaign entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Champaign business to do well.

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.

Landing Big Customers is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

Most new Champaign businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Champaign 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 Champaign, Illinois

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

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