Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Milwaukee. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

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 How to Start a Bridal Lingerie Business guide or our How to Start a Polyethylene Materials & Products Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Milwaukee has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Milwaukee. Only by spending some time analyzing Milwaukee demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
27091
5-9 Employees
10327
10-19 Employees
8076
20-49 Employees
5879
50-99 Employees
2325
100-249 Employees
1428
250-499 Employees
387
500-999 Employees
195
1000+ Employees
96
All Milwaukee Businesses
55804

As a new Milwaukee entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Milwaukee 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
70
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
2
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
4
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
2
Amusement Arcades
2
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
7
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
10
Apprenticeship Training
4
Architectural Services
81
Armored Car Services
6
Art Dealers
21
Automobile Driving Schools
8
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
16
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
12
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
93
Automotive Transmission Repair
15
Baked Goods Stores
13
Barber Shops
23
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
87
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Blood and Organ Banks
9
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
7
Book Stores
26
Books Printing
2
Bowling Centers
19
Breweries
3
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
2
Building Inspection Services
12
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Cafeterias
6
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
6
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
32
Carpet and Rug Mills
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
31
Cemeteries and Crematories
10
Charter Bus Industry
4
Child and Youth Services
54
Child Day Care Services
557
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
16
Claims Adjusting
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
13
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
21
Collection Agencies
10
Commercial Bakeries
7
Commercial Flexographic Printing
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
44
Commercial Photography
21
Commercial Screen Printing
21
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Commodity Contracts Dealing
2
Community Food Services
8
Computer and Software Stores
27
Computer Systems Design Services
74
Computer Terminal Manufacturing
1
Computer Training
11
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
13
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
6
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
23
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
19
Convenience Stores
79
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
3
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
18
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
10
Credit Bureaus
2
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
46
Curtain and Drapery Mills
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
91
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dance Companies
7
Dental Laboratories
20
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
11
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
9
Digital Printing
7
Direct Mail Advertising
15
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
11
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
3
Discount Department Stores
18
Display Advertising
6
Document Preparation Services
12
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
340
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
25
Educational Support Services
18
Electric Power Distribution
13
Electrical Contractors
84
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
8
Elementary and Secondary Schools
140
Emergency and Other Relief Services
7
Employment Placement Agencies
39
Engineering Services
116
Envelope Manufacturing
2
Environmental Consulting Services
16
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Facilities Support Services
13
Family Clothing Stores
40
Family Planning Centers
10
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
22
Finfish Fishing
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
5
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
47
Flight Training
4
Floor Covering Stores
35
Flooring Contractors
34
Florists
44
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
19
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
3
Food Service Contractors
82
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
2
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
5
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
6
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
40
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
8
Full-Service Restaurants
519
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
49
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
11
General Automotive Repair
195
General Freight Trucking, Local
47
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
12
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
37
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
61
Glass and Glazing Contractors
8
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
8
Grantmaking Foundations
30
Graphic Design Services
61
Greeting Card Publishers
2
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
7
Hardware Manufacturing
3
Hardware Stores
38
Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing
1
Hazardous Waste Collection
2
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Historical Sites
2
HMO Medical Centers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
18
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
18
Home Health Care Services
35
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
56
Household Appliance Stores
16
Human Rights Organizations
9
Hunting and Trapping
1
Industrial Building Construction
7
Industrial Design Services
3
Industrial Launderers
8
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
7
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
6
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
3
Inorganic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
352
Interior Design Services
19
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
7
Internet Service Providers
11
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
2
Investigation Services
13
Investment Advice
33
Iron Foundries
6
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
3
Janitorial Services
187
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
2
Jewelry Stores
60
Junior Colleges
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
14
Landscape Architectural Services
8
Landscaping Services
119
Language Schools
2
Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Libraries and Archives
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
490
Linen Supply
3
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
22
Locksmiths
14
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
60
Mail-Order Houses
22
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marinas
6
Marine Cargo Handling
2
Marketing Consulting Services
45
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
29
Materials Recovery Facilities
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
6
Media Buying Agencies
2
Media Representatives
3
Medical Laboratories
20
Men's Clothing Stores
25
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Heat Treating
12
Metal Stamping
10
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
5
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
2
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
9
Mobile Food Services
9
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
53
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
3
Motor Home Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
18
Motorcycle Dealers
8
Museums
18
Musical Groups and Artists
14
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
17
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
3
Nail Salons
18
Natural Gas Distribution
8
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
59
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
News Syndicates
2
Newspaper Publishers
13
Nonresidential Property Managers
29
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
50
Office Administrative Services
71
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
18
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
7
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
105
Offices of Chiropractors
74
Offices of Dentists
339
Offices of Lawyers
556
Offices of Optometrists
29
Offices of Podiatrists
31
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
33
One-Hour Photofinishing
3
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
3
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
4
Optical Goods Stores
40
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
7
Packaging and Labeling Services
9
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
5
Packing and Crating
5
Paging
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
21
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
97
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
3
Paperboard Mills
1
Parking Lots and Garages
107
Passenger Car Leasing
6
Passenger Car Rental
23
Payroll Services
14
Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
20
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
18
Petrochemical Manufacturing
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
9
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
129
Photography Studios, Portrait
31
Plate Work Manufacturing
7
Political Organizations
10
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
2
Portfolio Management
56
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
11
Prepress Services
8
Printing Ink Manufacturing
4
Professional Employer Organizations
14
Professional Organizations
20
Public Relations Agencies
24
Quick Printing
34
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
25
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
61
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Record Production
1
Recreational Goods Rental
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
4
Reinsurance Carriers
5
Repossession Services
2
Residential Property Managers
96
Residential Remodelers
151
Retail Bakeries
31
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
15
Roofing Contractors
48
Rooming and Boarding Houses
2
Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing
3
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
84
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
5
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
16
School and Employee Bus Transportation
15
Securities Brokerage
84
Septic Tank and Related Services
4
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
9
Ship Building and Repairing
2
Shoe Stores
72
Siding Contractors
27
Sign Manufacturing
30
Site Preparation Contractors
25
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
4
Soft Drink Manufacturing
2
Software Publishers
24
Software Reproducing
1
Solid Waste Collection
8
Solid Waste Landfill
2
Sound Recording Studios
4
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
2
Sporting Goods Stores
46
Sports and Recreation Instruction
15
Sports Teams and Clubs
7
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
2
Steel Investment Foundries
3
Storage Battery Manufacturing
2
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
81
Taxi Service
10
Telecommunications Resellers
4
Telemarketing Bureaus
17
Telephone Answering Services
4
Temporary Help Services
163
Temporary Shelters
13
Testing Laboratories
11
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
21
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
12
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
11
Tobacco Stores
16
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
8
Tradebinding and Related Work
5
Translation and Interpretation Services
8
Travel Agencies
59
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
25
Used Merchandise Stores
47
Vending Machine Operators
11
Veterinary Services
39
Video Tape and Disc Rental
36
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
40
Voluntary Health Organizations
20
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Weft Knit Fabric Mills
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
97
Window Treatment Stores
6
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
68
Women's Clothing Stores
89
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
5
Yarn Spinning Mills
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
2

Raising Money for Your Company

Obtaining startup financing for your Milwaukee business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Milwaukee 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.

Marketing Your New Company

To grow your Milwaukee business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Smart Branding is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Anticipating Prospect Responses 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Wisconsin universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Milwaukee networking organizations.

Some Interesting Milwaukee Entrepreneurs

Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Milwaukee entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Milwaukee businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Milwaukee, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

More Startup Articles for Wisconsin Cities

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Starting a Business in Mineral Point

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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