Iowa Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Le Mars, Iowa

Contemplating starting a business in Le Mars, Iowa? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Le Mars.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Alternative Medicine Physicians & Surgeons Practice guide or our Opening an Israeli Restaurant guide.

Don't forget that Le Mars is the place where you are starting a business. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Le Mars. A critical consideration is whether Le Mars demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Le Mars, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
658
5-9 Employees
249
10-19 Employees
132
20-49 Employees
144
50-99 Employees
51
100-249 Employees
21
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Le Mars Businesses
1267

As a new Le Mars entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Le Mars 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
Architectural Services
1
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
5
Boat Dealers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Community Food Services
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Unions
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
4
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
4
Fine Arts Schools
2
Florists
2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
3
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
2
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Le Mars, it's very important that you make sure no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Writing a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Presentations. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Business

To grow your Le Mars business, you need a solid marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Le Mars or are selling to customers throughout Iowa, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling Stuff on the Web offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Le Mars. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Le Mars and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Le Mars, Iowa

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

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