Indiana Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Evansville, Indiana

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most startup businesses fail, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Evansville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Evansville, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
39696
5-9 Employees
20196
10-19 Employees
15048
20-49 Employees
10746
50-99 Employees
4122
100-249 Employees
2304
250-499 Employees
486
500-999 Employees
126
1000+ Employees
216
All Evansville Businesses
92940

As a new Evansville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Evansville 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
5
Advertising Agencies
15
Ambulance Services
3
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
5
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
13
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
4
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
7
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
36
Automotive Transmission Repair
7
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beauty Salons
55
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
23
Blood and Organ Banks
3
Boat Dealers
4
Book Publishers
1
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
7
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
2
Building Inspection Services
3
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
11
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
11
Casino Hotels
1
Caterers
7
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child and Youth Services
9
Child Day Care Services
41
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
7
Civic and Social Organizations
29
Claims Adjusting
6
Clothing Accessories Stores
7
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
13
Commercial Photography
4
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
3
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
23
Computer Training
2
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
3
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
8
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
2
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
8
Credit Bureaus
3
Credit Unions
19
Crown and Closure Manufacturing
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
5
Custom Computer Programming Services
17
Dental Laboratories
9
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
5
Digital Printing
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
6
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
2
Drafting Services
4
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
4
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
44
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
17
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
44
Electronic Shopping
4
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
48
Environmental Consulting Services
8
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
10
Facilities Support Services
10
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
9
Finish Carpentry Contractors
17
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
19
Floor Covering Stores
12
Flooring Contractors
13
Flour Milling
1
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Service Contractors
16
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
3
Framing Contractors
10
Freight Transportation Arrangement
6
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
139
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
11
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
23
General Automotive Repair
49
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
13
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
28
Glass and Glazing Contractors
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
7
Grantmaking Foundations
7
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
6
Hardware Stores
6
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Historical Sites
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
10
Home Centers
6
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
12
Human Rights Organizations
1
Ice Manufacturing
2
Industrial Building Construction
3
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
6
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
99
Interior Design Services
7
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
3
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
53
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
26
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
5
Landscaping Services
42
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
7
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
162
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
4
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marinas
1
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Marketing Consulting Services
11
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
26
Meat Markets
2
Media Buying Agencies
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
4
Men's Clothing Stores
8
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
14
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
8
Museums
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
5
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
6
Natural Gas Distribution
5
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
17
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Nursing Care Facilities
16
Office Administrative Services
13
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
13
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
9
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
15
Offices of Dentists
74
Offices of Lawyers
103
Offices of Optometrists
18
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Podiatrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
16
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
2
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
6
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
5
Packaging and Labeling Services
3
Packing and Crating
2
Paging
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
14
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
26
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
4
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
7
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
7
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
26
Photography Studios, Portrait
12
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
4
Portfolio Management
6
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Professional Organizations
7
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
3
Radio Networks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
10
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Remediation Services
3
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
16
Residential Remodelers
48
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
4
Savings Institutions
12
Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing
1
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
20
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
3
Sewage Treatment Facilities
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
18
Siding Contractors
5
Site Preparation Contractors
16
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
33
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
6
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
8
Sports Teams and Clubs
2
Tax Preparation Services
12
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
5
Temporary Help Services
23
Testing Laboratories
4
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
10
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
4
Tire Dealers
14
Tire Retreading
1
Tobacco Stores
4
Travel Agencies
7
Used Car Dealers
27
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
7
Used Merchandise Stores
22
Vending Machine Operators
7
Veterinary Services
18
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
8
Voluntary Health Organizations
7
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
21
Women's Clothing Stores
33
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Evansville, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. 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.

Representative franchise opportunities include Papa Gino's and Whizard Academy for Mathematics and English. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and Cell Phone Franchises.

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

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read 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 Indiana.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new Evansville business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Credit Evaluation.

For Evansville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Indiana Angel Investors and our List of Indiana Venture Capital Firms.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Evansville, Indiana, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Indiana educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Evansville entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

Most new Evansville 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.

We are here to help Evansville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Evansville 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 Evansville, Indiana

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

More Business Startup Guides for Indiana

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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