Illinois Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Des Plaines, Illinois

Need help starting a business in Des Plaines, Illinois? We've got the information you need to open a business in Des Plaines.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.

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 Custom Home Builders Business guide or our Starting a Fiberglass & Plastic Tanks Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Des Plaines. Some businesses will do better in Des Plaines than others. Study Des Plaines demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Des Plaines, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4732
5-9 Employees
1317
10-19 Employees
978
20-49 Employees
867
50-99 Employees
414
100-249 Employees
276
250-499 Employees
72
500-999 Employees
33
1000+ Employees
12
All Des Plaines Businesses
8701

As a new Des Plaines entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Des Plaines 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
7
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Ambulance Services
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
6
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
21
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
16
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
21
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
5
Caterers
9
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Charter Bus Industry
2
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
11
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Flexographic Printing
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
9
Commercial Photography
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
27
Computer Training
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
5
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
6
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
31
Dental Laboratories
7
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
16
Direct Mail Advertising
5
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
5
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
30
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Employment Placement Agencies
12
Engineering Services
30
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
18
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
11
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
16
Framing Contractors
10
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
75
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
4
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
38
General Freight Trucking, Local
19
General Warehousing and Storage
9
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
14
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
4
Home Health Care Services
9
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
55
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
9
Iron Foundries
1
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
33
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
38
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
11
Limited-Service Restaurants
67
Limousine Service
10
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
8
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
11
Mail-Order Houses
6
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
16
Masonry Contractors
17
Media Buying Agencies
1
Medical Laboratories
4
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Stamping
7
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
18
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
14
Office Administrative Services
17
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
25
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
44
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
9
Offices of Podiatrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
19
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
8
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
4
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
5
Prepress Services
2
Professional Employer Organizations
5
Professional Organizations
17
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
5
Real Estate Credit
14
Real Estate Investment Trusts
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Repossession Services
3
Residential Property Managers
12
Residential Remodelers
54
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing
1
Roofing Contractors
12
Sales Financing
5
Savings Institutions
1
Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing
1
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
10
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
6
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Skiing Facilities
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
12
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Taxi Service
4
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
4
Telephone Answering Services
1
Testing Laboratories
4
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
21
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
5
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
25
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
18
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Des Plaines, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchising Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include American Home Inspectors and Dale & Thomas Popcorn. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Health and Beauty Franchises and Leisure and Entertainment Franchises.

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

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Des Plaines, it's very important that you make sure no other Illinois company is using the business name you want to use.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Des Plaines 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 securing funding, such as Attracting Investors.

For Des Plaines entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Des Plaines and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Introduction to Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Des Plaines and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Des Plaines, Illinois

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois

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