Ohio Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sidney, Ohio

Contemplating starting a business in Sidney, Ohio? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Sidney.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, 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 How to Start a Custom Jewelry Retail Business guide or our Starting a Sash Balances & Weights Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Sidney has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Sidney than others. A critical consideration is whether Sidney demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Sidney, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
7240
5-9 Employees
3144
10-19 Employees
2664
20-49 Employees
2064
50-99 Employees
816
100-249 Employees
576
250-499 Employees
288
500-999 Employees
72
1000+ Employees
0
All Sidney Businesses
16864

As a new Sidney entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sidney 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
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
4
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
3
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
5
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
10
Engineering Services
5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
2
Food Service Contractors
3
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
1
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Interior Design Services
1
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
8
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
23
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
14
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Meat Markets
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
7
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
7
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Software Publishers
1
Soybean Processing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Sidney, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Between Rounds and Montana Mike's Steakhouse. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Retail Franchises and Frozen Yogurt Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Sidney, Ohio

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will shield 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 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 Ohio, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Ohio. In fact, you are allowed to 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. 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 Sidney, Ohio, our information on Incorporating in Ohio may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Ohio.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, 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.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Sidney business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. 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 Investor Turnoffs.

For Sidney entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, we have assembled a List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Sidney customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Business Logo Design is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Sidney, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Sidney, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Sidney, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Sidney entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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