Contemplating starting a business in Kenosha, Wisconsin? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Kenosha.
Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?
Most new companies don't make it, in part because the founder 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.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Kenosha. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
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 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 How to Start a Non-Sports Trading Cards Business guide or our Starting an Industrial Waste Reduction Consulting Practice guide.
Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Kenosha. Some businesses will do better in Kenosha than others. Study Kenosha demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Kenosha, Wisconsin Demographic Information
Kenosha has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Kenosha demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Kenosha.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3397 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1284 |
| 10-19 Employees |
984 |
| 20-49 Employees |
693 |
| 50-99 Employees |
213 |
| 100-249 Employees |
147 |
| 250-499 Employees |
21 |
| 500-999 Employees |
9 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Kenosha Businesses |
6760 |
As a new Kenosha entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kenosha 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 |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
4 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
4 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
4 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
14 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
4 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
48 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
4 |
| Book Stores |
5 |
| Bowling Centers |
3 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
4 |
| Car Washes |
7 |
| Carpet and Rug Mills |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
4 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
8 |
| Child Day Care Services |
21 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
11 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
6 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
6 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
5 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
7 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
4 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
12 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Custom Roll Forming |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
3 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
2 |
| Digital Printing |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
4 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
5 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
60 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Dry Pasta Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
5 |
| Electrical Contractors |
17 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
12 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
9 |
| Envelope Manufacturing |
1 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
15 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Finfish Fishing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
14 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
7 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
5 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
5 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
77 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
8 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
11 |
| General Automotive Repair |
21 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
7 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
9 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
4 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
8 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
9 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
37 |
| Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
12 |
| Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
21 |
| Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
81 |
| Limousine Service |
3 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
11 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Masonry Contractors |
5 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
7 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
3 |
| Nail Salons |
5 |
| New Car Dealers |
8 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
8 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
7 |
| Office Administrative Services |
8 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
5 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
15 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
19 |
| Offices of Dentists |
52 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
41 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
10 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
5 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
11 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paging |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
5 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
12 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
6 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
5 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
11 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plastics Bottle Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
4 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
9 |
| Residential Property Managers |
11 |
| Residential Remodelers |
15 |
| Retail Bakeries |
4 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
4 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
11 |
| Siding Contractors |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
10 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
13 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Steel Foundries (except Investment) |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
7 |
| Taxi Service |
4 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
9 |
| Temporary Shelters |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
7 |
| Used Car Dealers |
16 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
7 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
10 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
6 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
6 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Kenosha, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include ChipsAway UK and Mailboxes Etc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Video and DVD Rental Franchises and Child Photos and Portraits Franchises.
Note on Kenosha Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Kenosha.
Startup Financing Basics
Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Kenosha business will be harder than you might expect. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Kenosha entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, we have assembled a List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Kenosha business to do well.
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.
Selling with Questions 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
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Kenosha entrepreneurs.
Moving Forward
Most new Kenosha businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Kenosha and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Kenosha 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 Kenosha, Wisconsin
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Kenosha.
More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
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