Illinois Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Normal, Illinois

Need help starting a business in Normal, Illinois? We've got the information you need to open a business in Normal.

Normal, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1068
5-9 Employees
411
10-19 Employees
372
20-49 Employees
303
50-99 Employees
114
100-249 Employees
57
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
6
All Normal Businesses
2340

As a new Normal entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Normal 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
Architectural Services
3
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Beauty Salons
8
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
5
Building Inspection Services
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
5
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
25
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Language Schools
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
36
Locksmiths
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
1
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Organizations
2
Radio Networks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
9
Rooming and Boarding Houses
5
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
10

Forming a Company in Normal, Illinois

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will separate 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.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Illinois, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Illinois. As it turns out, you can 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 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 Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Normal, 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?

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Normal business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Normal entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Normal customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Examples of Marketing Strategies discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Normal, Illinois, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Illinois universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Normal entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

Most new Normal 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 Normal and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Normal, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Normal, Illinois

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

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