Ohio Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Vandalia, Ohio

Are you starting a business in Vandalia, Ohio? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Vandalia.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Running your own business is demanding, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to start a business?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Vandalia. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Vandalia, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2244
5-9 Employees
1092
10-19 Employees
744
20-49 Employees
636
50-99 Employees
252
100-249 Employees
204
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
12
All Vandalia Businesses
5232

As a new Vandalia entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Vandalia 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
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
4
Cafeterias
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
2
Couriers
4
Credit Unions
3
Dental Laboratories
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
4
Florists
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
8
Full-Service Restaurants
8
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
17
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
6
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Passenger Car Rental
21
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
4
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
9
Securities Brokerage
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tire Dealers
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
8
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Vandalia businesses and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Nutrilawn, Inc. and Sonitrol Corporation. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.

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

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Vandalia business is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.

For Vandalia entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To grow your Vandalia business, you need a great marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Transit Advertising is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling 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 Vandalia business, you need to focus on sales.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Cold Call Selling is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Vandalia, 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.

We are here to help Vandalia businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Vandalia, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Vandalia, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Vandalia, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Vandalia entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Ohio

Starting a Business in Van Wert
Starting a Business in Vermilion

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary