Illinois Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Zion, Illinois

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Zion. 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.

Zion, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1818
5-9 Employees
621
10-19 Employees
441
20-49 Employees
306
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
45
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Zion Businesses
3348

As a new Zion entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Zion 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
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
3
Business Associations
1
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Convenience Stores
3
Curtain and Drapery Mills
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
9
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Hardware Stores
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
17
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Machine Shops
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nuclear Electric Power Generation
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
1
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Siding Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Zion businesses and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include A Better Solution and 1-800-Water Damage. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Dating Service Franchises and Mail and Shipping Services Franchises.

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

Naming the Business

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 should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Zion, it's imperative that you check now that no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Creating a business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Zion business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

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

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Zion business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

The Art of Customer Referrals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

Most new Zion businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Zion and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Zion, Illinois

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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