Iowa Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Onawa, Iowa

Are you starting a business in Onawa, Iowa? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Onawa.

Onawa, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
191
5-9 Employees
69
10-19 Employees
51
20-49 Employees
27
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Onawa Businesses
350

As a new Onawa entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Onawa 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
Beauty Salons
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Collection Agencies
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Florists
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Investment Advice
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Optometrists
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Racetracks
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Onawa businesses and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. 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 Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include The UPS Store and Creative Colors International, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tanning Franchises and Healthcare Services Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Onawa, Iowa

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Iowa, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Iowa. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Onawa, Iowa, our information on Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

To grow your Onawa business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Exhibiting at Tradeshows discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Onawa business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales Techniques is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Onawa, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Iowa universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Onawa entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

Most new Onawa 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 Onawa businesses to be successful. 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 Onawa, Iowa

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

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Iowa

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Starting a Business in Orange City

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