Iowa Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sheldon, Iowa

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Sheldon. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Sheldon, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2172
5-9 Employees
972
10-19 Employees
738
20-49 Employees
378
50-99 Employees
54
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All Sheldon Businesses
4404

As a new Sheldon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sheldon 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Car Washes
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Landscaping Services
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Lawyers
2
Offices of Optometrists
6
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Residential Remodelers
1
Retail Bakeries
1
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Soybean Processing
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Should You Franchise?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Sheldon and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Common Franchisee Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include The Fourth R and General Nutrition Centers / GNC Live Well. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Hotel and Motel Franchises and Kitchen Design Franchises.

Note on Sheldon Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Sheldon, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Sheldon Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Sheldon, Iowa

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. 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, it doesn't mean you are required 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Sheldon, Iowa, our information on Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Writing a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Outsourcing. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Venture

To grow your Sheldon business, 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. Buying Radio Ads 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.

What's Next?

Most new Sheldon 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 Sheldon 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 Sheldon, Iowa

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for Iowa

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