Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Germantown, Wisconsin

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 How to Start a Lumber Services Business guide or our How to Start a Truck Washing & Cleaning Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Germantown. If Germantown already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Germantown demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Germantown, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5719
5-9 Employees
2527
10-19 Employees
2058
20-49 Employees
1764
50-99 Employees
483
100-249 Employees
420
250-499 Employees
42
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Germantown Businesses
13013

As a new Germantown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Germantown 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
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
6
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Electrical Contractors
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
7
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
General Automotive Repair
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
7
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
7
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
16
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
11
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
9
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Optometrists
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Residential Remodelers
11
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
4
Securities Brokerage
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Germantown Business?

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

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Germantown, it's critical that you ensure that no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Germantown business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Germantown entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Germantown business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Billboard Advertising Best Practices is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

The Art of Selling

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

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

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

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Germantown businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Germantown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Germantown, Wisconsin

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

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin

Starting a Business in Galesville
Starting a Business in Glenwood City

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary