Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Berlin, Wisconsin

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

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Before quitting your day job, consider 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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Berlin. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 a Cemeteries Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Metal Buildings Dealers Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Berlin. Some businesses will do better in Berlin than others. A critical consideration is whether Berlin demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Berlin, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2944
5-9 Employees
816
10-19 Employees
768
20-49 Employees
432
50-99 Employees
168
100-249 Employees
48
250-499 Employees
72
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Berlin Businesses
5248

As a new Berlin entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Berlin 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
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
2
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
3
Family Clothing Stores
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Glove and Mitten Manufacturing
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
4
Luggage Manufacturing
1
Machine Shops
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Savings Institutions
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1

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.

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.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Berlin, it's very important that you make sure no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Berlin, Wisconsin

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will separate 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 common way to legally create a business entity. 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. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Berlin, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Having 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. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Berlin business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 Borrowing Money from Friends and Family.

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

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Berlin. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Berlin and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Berlin entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Berlin, Wisconsin

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

More Startup Articles for Wisconsin Cities

Starting a Business in Beloit
Starting a Business in Black Earth

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