Illinois Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Elgin, Illinois

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Elgin. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Elgin, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
55160
5-9 Employees
19026
10-19 Employees
14154
20-49 Employees
10920
50-99 Employees
4494
100-249 Employees
2268
250-499 Employees
462
500-999 Employees
210
1000+ Employees
378
All Elgin Businesses
107072

As a new Elgin entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Elgin 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
5
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
9
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Beauty Salons
19
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
10
Book Stores
2
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
5
Business Associations
2
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
5
Child Day Care Services
14
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
8
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
27
Computer Training
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
13
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
9
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
18
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
13
Electrical Contractors
25
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Engineering Services
18
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Finish Carpentry Contractors
19
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
6
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
9
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
50
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
34
General Freight Trucking, Local
21
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
13
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
8
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
8
Homes for the Elderly
5
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
7
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
41
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
30
Jewelry Stores
5
Land Subdivision
7
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
54
Limited-Service Restaurants
62
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
6
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Marketing Consulting Services
7
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
16
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
6
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
14
New Housing Operative Builders
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
7
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
23
Offices of Dentists
47
Offices of Lawyers
59
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
3
Power-Driven Handtool Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
5
Prepress Services
6
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
3
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Reinsurance Carriers
2
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
25
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
8
Savings Institutions
4
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
10
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
6
Site Preparation Contractors
15
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
12
Solid Waste Collection
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Temporary Help Services
19
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
3
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
35
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
3
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Elgin businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Barnie's Coffee & Tea Co. and Altoids Gum Vending Machines by Candy King. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as ATM Franchises and Health Franchises.

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

Should You Buy an Existing Elgin Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Elgin.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

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.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Elgin, it's very important that you make sure no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.

Ramping Up Sales

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

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

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Elgin, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Illinois educational institutions. It's also wise to see if there are any networking organizations for Elgin entrepreneurs.

Some Interesting Elgin Entrepreneurs

Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Elgin entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Elgin. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Elgin, Illinois

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois

Starting a Business in Eldorado
Starting a Business in Elizabethtown

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Illinois
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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