Iowa Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Burlington, Iowa

Need help starting a business in Burlington, Iowa? We've got the information you need to open a business in Burlington.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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 Burlington. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Starting a Recycling Services, Equipment, & Supplies Business guide or our Opening a Semi-Private Golf Courses Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Burlington. Some businesses will do better in Burlington than others. Make sure you fully understand Burlington demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Burlington, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
21384
5-9 Employees
9558
10-19 Employees
5562
20-49 Employees
3996
50-99 Employees
1728
100-249 Employees
486
250-499 Employees
270
500-999 Employees
108
1000+ Employees
0
All Burlington Businesses
43092

As a new Burlington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Burlington 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
11
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Boat Dealers
1
Books Printing
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
2
Child Day Care Services
10
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Claims Adjusting
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Unions
4
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
16
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Hardware Stores
3
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Homes for the Elderly
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
25
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
13
Offices of Lawyers
18
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Port and Harbor Operations
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
6
Real Estate Credit
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
4
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Iowa.

Marketing Your New Company

To grow your Burlington business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Radio Ads discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Burlington 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.

Why Salespeople Fail is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Moving Forward

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

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 Burlington and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Burlington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Burlington, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Burlington, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Burlington entrepreneurs.
  • Iowa Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Iowa.
  • Iowa Small Business Development Center - The Iowa SBDC conducts research, counsels, and trains business people in management, financing, and operating small businesses. They provide comprehensive information services and access to experts in a variety of fields. This is a great resource for Iowa entrepreneurs!

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