Wisconsin Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Port Washington, Wisconsin
Are you starting a business in Port Washington, Wisconsin? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Port Washington.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure 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.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Port Washington. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Port Washington, Wisconsin Demographic Information
Port Washington has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Port Washington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Port Washington.
Businesses
As a new Port Washington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Port Washington 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.
Businesses
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Port Washington, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Protecting Your Franchise Territory. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Sample franchise opportunities include THE MAIDS International, Inc. and IntelliTurf. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Healthcare Franchises.
Note on Port Washington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Port Washington.
Naming the Business
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Port Washington, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Wisconsin company using the business name you have chosen.
Forming a Company in Port Washington, Wisconsin
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
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. If you are starting a business in Wisconsin, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Wisconsin. In fact, 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Port Washington, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Port Washington business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.
For Port Washington entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Port Washington, 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 Port Washington businesses to be successful. 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 Port Washington, Wisconsin
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Port Washington.
- Resources for Port Washington, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Port Washington entrepreneurs.
- Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wisconsin.
- Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers offer a variety of educational services to small-businesses. The low-cost courses, seminars, and workshops cover both basic and complex topics, from marketing to management techniques to business plan development.
More Startup Articles for Wisconsin Cities
Starting a Business in Plymouth
Starting a Business in Portage
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Wisconsin
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs