Illinois Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Joliet, Illinois

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

Joliet, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8690
5-9 Employees
3700
10-19 Employees
2574
20-49 Employees
1776
50-99 Employees
732
100-249 Employees
396
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
36
All Joliet Businesses
17976

As a new Joliet entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Joliet 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
5
Amusement Arcades
2
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
5
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
7
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
15
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
3
Barber Shops
3
Beauty Salons
29
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
8
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Carpet and Rug Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Casino Hotels
2
Caterers
9
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
16
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Photography
3
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Systems Design Services
7
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
12
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
7
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
6
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
7
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
6
Display Advertising
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
40
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
29
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Engineering Services
17
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
11
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
16
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
9
Flooring Contractors
6
Florists
7
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
8
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
5
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
12
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
70
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
13
General Automotive Repair
46
General Freight Trucking, Local
21
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
5
General Warehousing and Storage
9
Glass and Glazing Contractors
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
6
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
6
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
3
Industrial Launderers
2
Inland Water Freight Transportation
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
54
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
20
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
16
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
8
Landscaping Services
44
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limousine Service
3
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
10
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
8
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
6
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
4
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
17
New Housing Operative Builders
8
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
11
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
20
Offices of Chiropractors
15
Offices of Dentists
72
Offices of Lawyers
100
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
6
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
2
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Paperboard Mills
1
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
6
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
18
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
2
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Professional Organizations
3
Racetracks
2
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
3
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
15
Record Production
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
2
Remediation Services
3
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
20
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
6
School and Employee Bus Transportation
3
Securities Brokerage
9
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
14
Siding Contractors
5
Sign Manufacturing
6
Site Preparation Contractors
13
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
16
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
3
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
15
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
23
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
7
Tobacco Stores
7
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
15
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Vending Machine Operators
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
15
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
9
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Window Treatment Stores
1
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
4
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Is Buying an Existing Joliet Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Joliet.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Joliet, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only Illinois company using the business name you have chosen.

Forming a Company in Joliet, Illinois

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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 Illinois, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Illinois. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Joliet, Illinois, our information on Incorporating in Illinois may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Illinois.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Writing a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Joliet, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Joliet networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Joliet and throughout the United States . 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 Joliet, Illinois

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

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