Ohio Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Wauseon, Ohio

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Wauseon. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Wauseon, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
503
5-9 Employees
228
10-19 Employees
129
20-49 Employees
117
50-99 Employees
24
100-249 Employees
12
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Wauseon Businesses
1022

As a new Wauseon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wauseon 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Hardware Stores
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Machine Shops
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
1
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
3
Museums
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
6
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tire Dealers
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Wauseon, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Law. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include New York Subs Fresh Deli and Squeegee Squad. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Baby Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.

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

What About Buying an Existing Wauseon Business?

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

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Getting your Wauseon business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Wauseon entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

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

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Local Search is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Why Salespeople Fail is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

What's Next?

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wauseon, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Wauseon, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Wauseon 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.

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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