Indiana Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Kendallville, Indiana

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Kendallville. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

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 Starting an Auto Service & Repair Information & Referral Services Business guide or our Starting an Automotive Engineers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that Kendallville is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Kendallville than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Kendallville demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Kendallville, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
629
5-9 Employees
249
10-19 Employees
186
20-49 Employees
111
50-99 Employees
51
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
21
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Kendallville Businesses
1280

As a new Kendallville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kendallville 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
3
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Machine Shops
4
Masonry Contractors
1
Metal Heat Treating
2
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Home Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Remodelers
6
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tour Operators
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Kendallville, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising My Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Ice Cold Air and Mandler's The Original Sausage Company. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Photos and Portraits Franchises and Financial Services Franchises.

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

Should You Buy an Existing Kendallville Business?

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

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Startup Financing Basics

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

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Kendallville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Indiana Angel Investors and our List of Indiana Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Kendallville, Indiana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Indiana educational institutions. It's also wise to see if there are any networking organizations for Kendallville entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Kendallville and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Kendallville 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 Kendallville, Indiana

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

More Startup Articles for Indiana Cities

Starting a Business in Jeffersonville
Starting a Business in Kentland

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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