Iowa Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Laurens, Iowa

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most new businesses do not succeed, 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.

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 Laurens. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business to 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 Finding Your Niche in Life.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Moving Equipment & Supplies Rental Business guide or our Opening a Used Ranges & Ovens Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Laurens. Some businesses will do better in Laurens than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Laurens demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Laurens, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
387
5-9 Employees
117
10-19 Employees
54
20-49 Employees
27
50-99 Employees
36
100-249 Employees
9
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Laurens Businesses
630

As a new Laurens entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Laurens 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Beauty Salons
2
Bowling Centers
1
Car Washes
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Florists
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Interior Design Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Savings Institutions
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1

What About Buying an Existing Laurens Business?

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

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

Forming a Company in Laurens, Iowa

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will decide among 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Iowa. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Laurens, 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 Laurens business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. 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 Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Laurens entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Laurens and throughout the United States . 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 Laurens, Iowa

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

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