Iowa Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa

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

Choosing the Right Company to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 Opening a Swimming Pools Service & Repair Business guide or our How to Start a Fruit Drying Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Sergeant Bluff has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Sergeant Bluff than others. Don't forget to review Sergeant Bluff demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Sergeant Bluff, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
198
5-9 Employees
60
10-19 Employees
48
20-49 Employees
39
50-99 Employees
15
100-249 Employees
3
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Sergeant Bluff Businesses
369

As a new Sergeant Bluff entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sergeant Bluff 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
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
1
Engineering Services
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
2
Landscaping Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Soybean Processing
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4

Naming the 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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Sergeant Bluff, it's very important that you make sure no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Sergeant Bluff, 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.

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

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

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Sergeant Bluff business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Sergeant Bluff entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, browse our List of Iowa Angel Investors and our List of Iowa Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Sergeant Bluff customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. How to Market to Accountants and CPAs is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Sergeant Bluff. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Sergeant Bluff 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 Sergeant Bluff, Iowa

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

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