Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Shawano, Wisconsin

Need help starting a business in Shawano, Wisconsin? We've got the information you need to open a business in Shawano.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Shawano. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Shawano, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
729
5-9 Employees
351
10-19 Employees
171
20-49 Employees
141
50-99 Employees
36
100-249 Employees
21
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Shawano Businesses
1461

As a new Shawano entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Shawano 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
2
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
19
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
4
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Periodical Publishers
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
6
Retail Bakeries
2
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Shawano and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Saf-T Auto Centers and Accor Hotels. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Franchises and Pest Control Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Shawano Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Shawano.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Company Formation in Shawano, Wisconsin

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The primary advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. 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 Dissolving a Corporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Shawano, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Shawano business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Shawano entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

Most new Shawano businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

We are here to help Shawano 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 Shawano, Wisconsin

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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