Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Mauston, Wisconsin

Contemplating starting a business in Mauston, Wisconsin? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Mauston.

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Mauston. 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.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 a Convention & Trade Show Coordinators Business guide or our Starting a Platemaking Services Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Mauston. Some businesses will do better in Mauston than others. Study Mauston demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Mauston, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
402
5-9 Employees
120
10-19 Employees
87
20-49 Employees
63
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
9
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Mauston Businesses
714

As a new Mauston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mauston 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Credit Unions
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
4
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
5
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Mauston Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Mauston.

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

Selecting a Name For Your Business

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 should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Mauston, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Wisconsin company using the business name you have chosen.

Company Formation in Mauston, Wisconsin

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. 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 traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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 Wisconsin, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Wisconsin. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Mauston, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Mauston, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mauston, Wisconsin

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

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin

Starting a Business in Marshfield
Starting a Business in Mayville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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