Wisconsin Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Thinking about starting a business in Sheboygan, Wisconsin? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Sheboygan.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Sheboygan. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1972
5-9 Employees
987
10-19 Employees
789
20-49 Employees
510
50-99 Employees
177
100-249 Employees
102
250-499 Employees
42
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
0
All Sheboygan Businesses
4603

As a new Sheboygan entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sheboygan 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
4
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
2
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
8
Automobile Driving Schools
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
34
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
3
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
9
Child Day Care Services
18
Civic and Social Organizations
10
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
2
Drafting Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
41
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electric Power Distribution
4
Electrical Contractors
13
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
6
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finfish Fishing
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
5
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
3
Food Service Contractors
4
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
53
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
11
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
4
Homes for the Elderly
7
Household Appliance Stores
6
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
36
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
15
Jewelry Stores
4
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
39
Limousine Service
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Meat Markets
4
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
4
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
8
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
17
Offices of Dentists
33
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
7
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
10
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
12
Savings Institutions
5
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
15
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
7
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Sheboygan Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Sheboygan.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical 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. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Free Business Plan Templates. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Wisconsin.

Marketing Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Sheboygan and grow your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. PR Versus Advertising is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Sheboygan or are selling to customers throughout Wisconsin, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Anticipating Prospect Responses is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, you should investigate some of the learning programs at local Wisconsin educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Sheboygan entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Interviews With Sheboygan Entrepreneurs

Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Sheboygan entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Sheboygan. 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Sheboygan and throughout the United States . 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 Sheboygan, Wisconsin

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

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