Illinois Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Saint Charles, Illinois

Are you starting a business in Saint Charles, Illinois? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Saint Charles.

Saint Charles, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3648
5-9 Employees
1023
10-19 Employees
765
20-49 Employees
486
50-99 Employees
192
100-249 Employees
114
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Saint Charles Businesses
6258

As a new Saint Charles entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Saint Charles 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
2
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
14
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
21
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
3
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
8
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
19
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
2
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
25
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
10
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electrical Contractors
34
Electronic Shopping
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
6
Engineering Services
15
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
7
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
16
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
50
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
8
General Automotive Repair
15
General Freight Trucking, Local
9
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
7
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Launderers
8
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
8
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
45
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
9
Janitorial Services
20
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
12
Land Subdivision
7
Landscaping Services
30
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
44
Limousine Service
4
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
4
Marketing Consulting Services
19
Masonry Contractors
7
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
9
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Nail Salons
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
8
New Housing Operative Builders
13
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
21
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Dentists
33
Offices of Lawyers
30
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
12
Optical Goods Stores
3
Packaging and Labeling Services
3
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
19
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
9
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
10
Political Organizations
1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Printing Ink Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
4
Real Estate Credit
10
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
34
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
6
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
4
Securities Brokerage
15
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
4
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
2
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
10
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
5
Tobacco Stores
3
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
8
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
44
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
14

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Saint Charles Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Illinois. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Saint Charles.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Picking a Company Name

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Saint Charles, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Illinois business.

Forming a Company in Saint Charles, Illinois

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

When forming a company, you will choose from many company types, such as 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 Illinois, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Illinois. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Saint Charles, Illinois, our web page covering 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 essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Mistakes. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Saint Charles, Illinois, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Illinois educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Saint Charles entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

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

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

We are here to help Saint Charles 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 Saint Charles, Illinois

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

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