Iowa Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sioux City, Iowa

Thinking about starting a business in Sioux City, Iowa? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Sioux City.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

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 Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Saddlery & Harness Repair Business guide or our Opening a Flood Cleanup Business guide.

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

Sioux City, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3350
5-9 Employees
1557
10-19 Employees
1143
20-49 Employees
813
50-99 Employees
267
100-249 Employees
159
250-499 Employees
33
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
9
All Sioux City Businesses
7331

As a new Sioux City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sioux City 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
2
Amusement Arcades
2
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
5
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
7
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
16
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
5
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
19
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
6
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
4
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
21
Civic and Social Organizations
21
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
5
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Computer Training
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
5
Convenience Stores
4
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Unions
7
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
34
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Electrical Contractors
12
Electronic Auctions
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
9
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
12
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
7
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
3
Fine Arts Schools
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
7
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
9
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
63
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
14
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
7
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Household Appliance Stores
5
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Launderers
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
64
Interior Design Services
3
Investigation Services
2
Janitorial Services
21
Jewelry Stores
11
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
26
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
80
Linen Supply
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
4
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
6
Medical Laboratories
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
5
New Car Dealers
11
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
7
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
14
Offices of Chiropractors
28
Offices of Dentists
33
Offices of Lawyers
66
Offices of Optometrists
11
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
8
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
4
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
12
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
4
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Political Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
4
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
8
Real Estate Credit
8
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
3
Remediation Services
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
18
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
7
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
9
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
17
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
14
Siding Contractors
8
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Soybean Processing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Sports Teams and Clubs
2
Tax Preparation Services
13
Taxi Service
3
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
11
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
3
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
5
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
13
Used Merchandise Stores
12
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
8
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
15

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Sioux City, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. 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 Seekers Coffee House & Cafe and Froots Franchising Companies. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Parts and Tools Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.

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

Picking a Company Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

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

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Sioux City, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Iowa business.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Sioux City business to do well.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling Products on eBay is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Sioux City, Iowa, you should investigate some of the learning programs at local Iowa educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Sioux City entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

Most new Sioux City 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 Sioux City 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 Sioux City, Iowa

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

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