Iowa Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Greenfield, Iowa

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

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you are ready to take on this challenge?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Greenfield. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Greenfield, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2068
5-9 Employees
594
10-19 Employees
297
20-49 Employees
297
50-99 Employees
66
100-249 Employees
33
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
33
1000+ Employees
0
All Greenfield Businesses
3388

As a new Greenfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greenfield 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
Bowling Centers
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
4
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2

Is Buying an Existing Greenfield Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Iowa. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Greenfield.

If you are serious about 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.

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.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Greenfield, it's critical that you ensure that no Iowa company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Greenfield, Iowa

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Iowa, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Iowa. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Greenfield, Iowa, our web page covering Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Obtaining startup financing for your Greenfield business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Attracting Investors.

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

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Greenfield and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Greenfield, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Greenfield, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Greenfield 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!

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