Illinois Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Waukegan, Illinois

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Image Processing Business guide or our Opening an Insulation Contractors Commercial & Industrial Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Waukegan. Some businesses will do better in Waukegan than others. Make sure you fully understand Waukegan demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Waukegan, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2399
5-9 Employees
900
10-19 Employees
624
20-49 Employees
473
50-99 Employees
192
100-249 Employees
99
250-499 Employees
30
500-999 Employees
33
1000+ Employees
6
All Waukegan Businesses
4756

As a new Waukegan entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Waukegan 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
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
16
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Beauty Salons
12
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
9
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
2
Bowling Centers
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
5
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
8
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
10
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
19
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
15
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
2
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
7
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
4
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
3
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
11
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
40
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
29
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
5
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
15
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Landscape Architectural Services
4
Landscaping Services
51
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
58
Limousine Service
2
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
1
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Mixed Mode Transit Systems
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
7
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
5
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
29
Offices of Lawyers
95
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
7
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
2
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Passenger Car Rental
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
9
Retail Bakeries
6
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
5
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Shoe Stores
8
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Solid Waste Collection
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Tax Preparation Services
10
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
4
Tire Retreading
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
9
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
6
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
8

Picking a Business Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Waukegan, it's very important that you make sure no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Waukegan, Illinois

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Illinois, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Illinois. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Waukegan, Illinois, our information on Incorporating in Illinois may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Illinois.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Waukegan 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.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Choosing VC Firms.

For Waukegan entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Waukegan or are selling to customers throughout Illinois, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Compensating Sales People is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Waukegan. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Waukegan and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Waukegan, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Waukegan, Illinois

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois

Starting a Business in Watseka
Starting a Business in Waverly

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

 

 

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