Minnesota Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

Contemplating starting a business in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Pequot Lakes.

Pequot Lakes, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
450
5-9 Employees
96
10-19 Employees
66
20-49 Employees
45
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Pequot Lakes Businesses
675

As a new Pequot Lakes entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pequot Lakes 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
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
3
Engineering Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
8
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
8
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
2
Marinas
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
1
Offices of Optometrists
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Radio Stations
2
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3

Choosing a Business 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.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Pequot Lakes, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only Minnesota company using the business name you have chosen.

Company Formation in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate 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 common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Minnesota, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Minnesota. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, our information on Incorporating in Minnesota may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Minnesota.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Pequot Lakes business is not an easy task. 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 Business Incubators.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Minnesota universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Pequot Lakes networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

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

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