Start a Business in Kiel, Wisconsin

Are you starting a business in Kiel, Wisconsin? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Kiel.

Do You Have What It Takes?

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

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Kiel. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

Kiel, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	249
5-9 Employees	108
10-19 Employees	69
20-49 Employees	39
50-99 Employees	15
100-249 Employees	9
250-499 Employees	3
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Kiel Businesses	492

As a new Kiel entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kiel 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
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Beauty Salons	1
Boat Dealers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	1
Cheese Manufacturing	3
Child Day Care Services	3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	1
Credit Unions	1
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Flooring Contractors	3
Florists	1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	2
Full-Service Restaurants	5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	1
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Iron Foundries	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	2
Limousine Service	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Portfolio Management	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	3
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Siding Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Kiel, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchise Tradeshows. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Applebee's International, Inc. and Blue Chip Cookies. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bagel Franchises and Convenience Store Franchises.

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

What About Buying an Existing Kiel Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Kiel.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

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 need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Kiel, it's very important that you make sure no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Kiel 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.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as SBIR Funding.

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

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Kiel and grow your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.

You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. How to Write a Marketing Plan is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Kiel businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Kiel 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 Kiel, Wisconsin

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

• Resources for Kiel, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Kiel entrepreneurs.
• Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wisconsin.
• West Virginia Small Business Development Center - The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) promotes economic development through a program of practical, interrelated services, providing assistance to existing West Virginia small businesses and the emerging West Virginia entrepreneur.
• Kiel, Wisconsin Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Kiel, Wisconsin newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Kiel area.

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
Starting a Business in Kewaskum
Starting a Business in La Crosse

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin