Minnesota Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Saint Joseph, Minnesota

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that your new business will be in Saint Joseph. Some businesses will do better in Saint Joseph than others. Study Saint Joseph demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Saint Joseph, Minnesota Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1380
5-9 Employees
408
10-19 Employees
348
20-49 Employees
264
50-99 Employees
48
100-249 Employees
24
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Saint Joseph Businesses
2484

As a new Saint Joseph entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Saint Joseph 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Florists
2
Full-Service Restaurants
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hardware Stores
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
2
Landscaping Services
7
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Travel Agencies
1
Veterinary Services
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Saint Joseph businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Saint Joseph Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Saint Joseph.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Saint Joseph Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Minnesota. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Saint Joseph.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Selecting a Name For Your Company

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Saint Joseph, it's imperative that you check now that no other Minnesota company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Minnesota.

Next Steps

Most new Saint Joseph businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Saint Joseph and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Saint Joseph entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Saint Joseph, Minnesota

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

More Startup Articles for Minnesota Cities

Starting a Business in Saint James
Starting a Business in Saint Paul

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Minnesota
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