Illinois Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Decatur, Illinois

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 a Fencing Instruction Business guide or our Starting a Sewer Line Inspection & Maintenance Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Decatur. Some businesses will do better in Decatur than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Decatur demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Decatur, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
30880
5-9 Employees
13650
10-19 Employees
9480
20-49 Employees
6810
50-99 Employees
2280
100-249 Employees
1380
250-499 Employees
420
500-999 Employees
60
1000+ Employees
120
All Decatur Businesses
65080

As a new Decatur entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Decatur 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
Advertising Agencies
4
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
5
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
21
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
10
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
6
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
8
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child and Youth Services
7
Child Day Care Services
10
Civic and Social Organizations
21
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
6
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
13
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
7
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
7
Credit Unions
18
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
2
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
25
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
19
Electrical Contractors
15
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
5
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
2
Food Service Contractors
12
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
19
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Building Construction
3
Industrial Launderers
6
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
2
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
20
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
29
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
62
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
11
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
2
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
11
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
9
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
16
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Dentists
37
Offices of Lawyers
52
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
7
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Passenger Car Rental
4
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
13
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
3
Quick Printing
3
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
6
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
9
Residential Remodelers
14
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
11
Rooming and Boarding Houses
3
Sales Financing
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
13
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
8
Solid Waste Landfill
3
Soybean Processing
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
1
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
9
Temporary Shelters
3
Testing Laboratories
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
5
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
11
Video Tape and Disc Rental
8
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wet Corn Milling
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
8
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

What About Buying an Existing Decatur Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Decatur 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 504 Loans.

For Decatur entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

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

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Newspaper Advertising Costs is a good read to get your marketing creativity flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

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

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.

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

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Decatur. 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.

We are here to help Decatur businesses to be successful. 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 Decatur, Illinois

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

More Business Startup Guides for Illinois

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Starting a Business in Dekalb

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Illinois
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