Start a Business in Cold Spring, Minnesota

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Running your own business is difficult, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Cold Spring. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.

Cold Spring, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1005
5-9 Employees	297
10-19 Employees	261
20-49 Employees	153
50-99 Employees	27
100-249 Employees	27
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	18
1000+ Employees	0
All Cold Spring Businesses	1788

As a new Cold Spring entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cold Spring 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Breweries	1
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child Day Care Services	6
Civic and Social Organizations	6
Claims Adjusting	1
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Gravure Printing	1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	2
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	1
Framing Contractors	5
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Hardware Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Internet Service Providers	1
Janitorial Services	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing	1
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Optometrists	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Poultry Processing	1
Retail Bakeries	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Cold Spring and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Bellacino's Pizza and Grinders and Lemstone Christian Stores. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Home Décor Franchises and Mexican Restaurant Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Cold Spring Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Minnesota. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Cold Spring.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Cold Spring business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as How Equity Dilution Works.

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

Marketing Your New Company

To grow your Cold Spring business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

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

Never Give Up

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

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cold Spring and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Cold Spring, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Cold Spring, Minnesota

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

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

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