Start a Business in Eldridge, Iowa

Thinking about starting a business in Eldridge, Iowa? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Eldridge.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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 Eldridge. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Billiard Table Dealers Business guide or our How to Start a Retirement Apartments & Hotels Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Eldridge. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Eldridge. Make sure you fully understand Eldridge demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Eldridge, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	999
5-9 Employees	396
10-19 Employees	207
20-49 Employees	189
50-99 Employees	54
100-249 Employees	27
250-499 Employees	9
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Eldridge Businesses	1881

As a new Eldridge entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Eldridge 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
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Beauty Salons	1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Books Printing	1
Business Associations	2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores	1
Car Washes	3
Child Day Care Services	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	4
Electronic Auctions	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	1
Framing Contractors	3
Full-Service Restaurants	3
General Automotive Repair	4
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Iron and Steel Forging	1
Landscaping Services	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	5
Machine Shops	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Metal Heat Treating	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	3
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	3
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Eldridge, it's imperative that you check now that no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Eldridge business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Choosing VC Firms.

For Eldridge entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Eldridge customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Marketing Basics discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Next Steps

Most new Eldridge businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Eldridge and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Eldridge entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Eldridge, Iowa

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

• Resources for Eldridge, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Eldridge entrepreneurs.
• Iowa Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Iowa.
• Iowa Small Business Development Center - The Iowa SBDC conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses. They provide comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields. This is a great resource for Iowa entrepreneurs!
• Eldridge, Iowa Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Eldridge, Iowa newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Eldridge area.

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