Iowa Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Marion, Iowa

Thinking about starting a business in Marion, Iowa? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Marion.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 an Eating Disorders Information & Treatment Center guide or our Starting a Semiconductors & Equipment Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Marion has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Marion. Study Marion demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Marion, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
21128
5-9 Employees
8094
10-19 Employees
5301
20-49 Employees
3591
50-99 Employees
912
100-249 Employees
285
250-499 Employees
114
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Marion Businesses
39425

As a new Marion entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Marion 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
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
1
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Couriers
5
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Electrical Contractors
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
3
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
4
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
7
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
8
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
11
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
2
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Residential Property Managers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
7
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Tax Preparation Services
5
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Travel Agencies
4
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Choosing a Business Name

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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

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 Marion, it's very important that you make sure no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Marion, Iowa

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation 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. Just because you are starting a business in Iowa, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Iowa. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Marion, Iowa, our information on Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Marion customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Viral Marketing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Selling Tips

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Anticipating Prospect Responses offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Marion. 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 Marion businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Marion 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 Marion, Iowa

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

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