Start a Business in Crawfordsville, Indiana

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Opening an Air Quality Management Service guide or our Opening a Columns Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Crawfordsville. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Crawfordsville. Don't forget to review Crawfordsville demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Crawfordsville, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	3285
5-9 Employees	1602
10-19 Employees	846
20-49 Employees	450
50-99 Employees	207
100-249 Employees	162
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	36
1000+ Employees	9
All Crawfordsville Businesses	6615

As a new Crawfordsville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Crawfordsville 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	3
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	16
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Boat Dealers	1
Books Printing	1
Bowling Centers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	2
Car Washes	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Cheese Manufacturing	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	6
Civic and Social Organizations	8
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Collection Agencies	2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Consumer Lending	2
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	1
Crown and Closure Manufacturing	1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	2
Discount Department Stores	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	4
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Engineering Services	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	2
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Management Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	3
Fine Arts Schools	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	2
Florists	6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Service Contractors	2
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	9
General Freight Trucking, Local	6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	3
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	6
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Grantmaking Foundations	3
Graphic Design Services	1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	1
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Household Appliance Stores	2
Industrial Building Construction	1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	16
Investment Advice	1
Iron and Steel Mills	2
Janitorial Services	10
Jewelry Stores	3
Landscaping Services	9
Limited-Service Restaurants	18
Machine Shops	5
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	4
Media Representatives	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Metal Heat Treating	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	2
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	7
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	15
Offices of Lawyers	15
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Printing Ink Manufacturing	1
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Quick Printing	2
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	4
Roofing Contractors	1
Rooming and Boarding Houses	8
Savings Institutions	6
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	2
Shoe Stores	2
Siding Contractors	3
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Tax Preparation Services	3
Temporary Help Services	2
Temporary Shelters	1
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	2
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	7
Women's Clothing Stores	2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Forming a Company in Crawfordsville, Indiana

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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 Indiana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Indiana. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Crawfordsville, Indiana, our information on Incorporating in Indiana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Indiana.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Indiana.

How to Sell

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

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

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Crawfordsville, Indiana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Indiana educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Crawfordsville entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

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

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 Crawfordsville and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Crawfordsville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Crawfordsville, Indiana

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

• Resources for Crawfordsville, Indiana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Crawfordsville entrepreneurs.
• Indiana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Indiana.
• Indiana Small Business Development Center - The Indiana Small Business Development Center assists Indiana entrepreneurs and small businesses through one on one counseling, education and business resources.
• Crawfordsville, Indiana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Crawfordsville, Indiana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Crawfordsville area.
• Crawfordsville, Indiana Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Crawfordsville, Indiana area radio stations.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Indiana
Starting a Business in Corydon
Starting a Business in Crothersville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Indiana