Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Whitewater, Wisconsin

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

Whitewater, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2076
5-9 Employees
996
10-19 Employees
576
20-49 Employees
324
50-99 Employees
144
100-249 Employees
156
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
0
All Whitewater Businesses
4284

As a new Whitewater entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Whitewater 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
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
1
Business Associations
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
10
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
4
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Hardware Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Machine Shops
2
Mattress Manufacturing
3
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Shoe Stores
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Whitewater, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We highly recommend you look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Dolly's Pizza Franchising and Allstate Advance Look Building Inspections. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Asian Restaurant Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Whitewater Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Whitewater.

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

Forming a Company in Whitewater, Wisconsin

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

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

Incorporation 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 Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Whitewater, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Raising Funding for Your Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Whitewater business is not an easy task. 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 Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Whitewater entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Whitewater customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Whitewater, Wisconsin, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Whitewater networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Whitewater, Wisconsin

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

More Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin

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Starting a Business in Williams Bay

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