Illinois Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Macomb, Illinois

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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 Macomb. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Macomb, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1716
5-9 Employees
738
10-19 Employees
366
20-49 Employees
288
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Macomb Businesses
3270

As a new Macomb entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Macomb 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
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
8
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
5
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
10
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Management Services
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Full-Service Restaurants
21
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
2
Internet Service Providers
2
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Locksmiths
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
2
New Car Dealers
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
7
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
3
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Remodelers
7
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
4
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4

What About Buying an Existing Macomb Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Macomb.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Picking a Company Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

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

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Macomb business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.

For Macomb entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Macomb or are selling to customers throughout Illinois, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

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.

Good Sales Strategies offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

What's Next?

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Macomb, Illinois

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

More Startup Articles for Illinois Cities

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