Illinois Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Charleston, Illinois

Need help starting a business in Charleston, Illinois? We've got the information you need to open a business in Charleston.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of 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.

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Charleston. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. 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.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.

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 Opening a Radiator Coolants & Solvents Business guide or our How to Start a Lubricating Oils Distributors & Manufacturers Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Charleston. If Charleston already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Charleston demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Charleston, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6352
5-9 Employees
2640
10-19 Employees
1872
20-49 Employees
1008
50-99 Employees
336
100-249 Employees
96
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Charleston Businesses
12352

As a new Charleston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Charleston 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
5
Child Day Care Services
5
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Training
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Credit Unions
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
5
Engineering Services
3
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
3
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Prepress Services
1
Professional Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
6
Roofing Contractors
1
Rooming and Boarding Houses
3
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
4
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Marketing Your New Startup

To rise above the crowd in Charleston and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. How to Get Started with Advertsing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Ramping Up Sales

Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Charleston or are selling to customers throughout Illinois, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Anticipating Prospect Responses is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Charleston, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any Charleston networking organizations.

Never Give Up

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Charleston and throughout the United States . 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 Charleston, Illinois

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

More Business Startup Guides for Illinois

Starting a Business in Champaign
Starting a Business in Chester

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Illinois
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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