Iowa Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Knoxville, Iowa

Need help starting a business in Knoxville, Iowa? We've got the information you need to open a business in Knoxville.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most startup businesses do not succeed, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Knoxville. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Knoxville, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2355
5-9 Employees
795
10-19 Employees
450
20-49 Employees
300
50-99 Employees
105
100-249 Employees
45
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
15
1000+ Employees
0
All Knoxville Businesses
4080

As a new Knoxville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Knoxville 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Credit Unions
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Engineering Services
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Internet Service Providers
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Meat Markets
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Knoxville, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying a Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include eCommercials and eSellables. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Specialty Foods Franchises and Family Restaurant Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Knoxville Business?

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

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Knoxville business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Line of Credit.

For Knoxville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Knoxville business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Compensating Sales People offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Knoxville, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Iowa educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Knoxville entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

Most new Knoxville businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Knoxville, Iowa

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

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