Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Marshfield, Wisconsin

Are you starting a business in Marshfield, Wisconsin? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Marshfield.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your 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 Marshfield. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Chimney Tops & Caps Business guide or our Starting an International Marketing Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Marshfield. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Marshfield. Study Marshfield demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Marshfield, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4196
5-9 Employees
1788
10-19 Employees
1452
20-49 Employees
1092
50-99 Employees
276
100-249 Employees
252
250-499 Employees
60
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
36
All Marshfield Businesses
9188

As a new Marshfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Marshfield 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
Ambulance Services
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
9
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Cheese Manufacturing
3
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
8
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Credit Unions
4
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
15
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electrical Contractors
18
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
21
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
10
Household Appliance Stores
2
Hunting and Trapping
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
18
Investment Advice
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
21
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
2
Portfolio Management
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
4
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
4
Securities Brokerage
7
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Solid Waste Collection
2
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
3
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
4
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Marshfield, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include L & W Investigations and Granite Transformations. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Photos and Portraits Franchises and Financial Services Franchises.

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

Selecting a Name For Your Startup

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.

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?

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Marshfield, it's imperative that you check now that no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Marshfield, Wisconsin

It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield 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. Just because you are starting a business in Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Marshfield, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Marshfield business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Marshfield entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Marshfield 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 Marshfield, Wisconsin

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

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