Contemplating starting a business in Dekalb, Illinois? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Dekalb.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Before quitting your day job, assess 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.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Dekalb. 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.
Dekalb, Illinois Demographic Information
Dekalb has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Dekalb demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Dekalb.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1138 |
| 5-9 Employees |
534 |
| 10-19 Employees |
327 |
| 20-49 Employees |
261 |
| 50-99 Employees |
90 |
| 100-249 Employees |
63 |
| 250-499 Employees |
3 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Dekalb Businesses |
2422 |
As a new Dekalb entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dekalb 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 |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
4 |
| Book Stores |
4 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
4 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
10 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding |
1 |
| Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
4 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
3 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Envelope Manufacturing |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Management Services |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
23 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Iron and Steel Forging |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
9 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
6 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
17 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
8 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
4 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
5 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Dekalb Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Dekalb.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.
Raising Capital for Your Venture
Getting your Dekalb business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How to Raise Money.
For Dekalb entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.
Letting the World Know You Exist
To grow your Dekalb business, you need a solid marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. National TV Spot Advertising Rates is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good business owners know that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Dekalb, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any Dekalb networking organizations.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Dekalb. 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.
We are here to help Dekalb 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 Dekalb, Illinois
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Dekalb.
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