Iowa Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Storm Lake, Iowa

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

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 Drugs & Medications Business guide or our Opening an Exercise & Fitness Clothing Retail Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Storm Lake. If Storm Lake already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Don't forget to review Storm Lake demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Storm Lake, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
672
5-9 Employees
258
10-19 Employees
180
20-49 Employees
105
50-99 Employees
33
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
3
All Storm Lake Businesses
1278

As a new Storm Lake entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Storm Lake 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
4
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Child and Youth Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Convenience Stores
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Unions
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
21
Janitorial Services
4
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
11
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
13
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Poultry Processing
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Storm Lake Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Iowa. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Storm Lake.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Naming the Company

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 need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Storm Lake, it's critical that you ensure that no other Iowa company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Storm Lake customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Pros and Cons of Advertising is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Storm Lake business, you need to focus on sales.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling on the Phone offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Storm Lake, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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 Storm Lake and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Storm Lake, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Storm Lake, Iowa

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

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

Starting a Business in State Center
Starting a Business in Story City

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Iowa
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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