Illinois Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Oak Park, Illinois

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, consider 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 Oak Park. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Finding Your Niche in Life.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Bathroom Fixtures & Accessories Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Opening an Excavation Contractors Commercial & Industrial Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Oak Park. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Oak Park. Make sure you fully understand Oak Park demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Oak Park, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
15935
5-9 Employees
3750
10-19 Employees
2445
20-49 Employees
1710
50-99 Employees
510
100-249 Employees
195
250-499 Employees
30
500-999 Employees
45
1000+ Employees
15
All Oak Park Businesses
24635

As a new Oak Park entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Oak Park 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
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
24
Art Dealers
5
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
19
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
3
Caterers
2
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
21
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
15
Computer Training
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
10
Credit Unions
2
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
21
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
11
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
9
Employment Placement Agencies
8
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
10
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
9
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
7
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
42
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
17
Hardware Stores
4
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Health Care Services
10
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Interior Design Services
6
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
7
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry Stores
4
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
4
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
32
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
17
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
Motion Picture and Video Production
5
Museums
5
Musical Groups and Artists
5
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
5
Nonferrous Forging
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
53
Offices of Lawyers
52
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
9
Optical Goods Stores
3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
12
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
9
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
7
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
7
Quick Printing
2
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
12
Residential Remodelers
24
Retail Bakeries
4
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
11
Shoe Stores
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
15
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Specialty Canning
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
16
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Oak Park, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchising 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 Case In Point and BannaStrow's. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Sports Restaurant Franchises and Auto Rental Franchises.

Note on Oak Park Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Oak Park, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Oak Park business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. 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 Business Line of Credit.

For Oak Park 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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Oak Park, 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 Oak Park networking organizations.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Oak Park, Illinois

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois

Starting a Business in Oak Lawn
Starting a Business in Ogden

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary