Iowa Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Indianola, Iowa

Contemplating starting a business in Indianola, Iowa? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Indianola.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you are ready to take on this challenge?

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:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Indianola. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.

Indianola, Iowa Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4086
5-9 Employees
1710
10-19 Employees
1098
20-49 Employees
702
50-99 Employees
162
100-249 Employees
72
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
18
All Indianola Businesses
7866

As a new Indianola entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Indianola 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
7
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Flooring Contractors
6
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
16
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
15
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
5
Rooming and Boarding Houses
4
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
5
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Solid Waste Collection
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Indianola Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Iowa. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Indianola.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Indianola, Iowa

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect 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 popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Iowa, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Iowa. In fact, 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Indianola, Iowa, our information on Incorporating in Iowa may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Iowa.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Indianola business, you need to focus on sales.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales 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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Indianola, Iowa, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Iowa universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Indianola entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Indianola, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Indianola 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 Indianola, Iowa

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

  • Resources for Indianola, Iowa Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Indianola 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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