Business Startup

The Alexandria area and Douglas County region is an excellent place to start and grow a business due in large part to its regional workforce draw, seasonal tourism pull, and growing resident population. As one of the fastest growing micropolitan statistical areas in Minnesota and the United State, the area features a large variety of resources and amenities for small and large business of all kinds.

The Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission works with entrepreneurs and small businesses of all types to successfully plan and start up, identify available facilities and land, bridge commercial financial needs, and provide demographic and statistical information. All of these services and more are completely confidential and provided free of charge to the businesses and residents of Douglas County, MN. In addition, a variety of small business training opportunities are presented by the AAEDC and its partner organizations to provide access to regional experts and training for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Training program participation normally requires a minimal attendance fee.

To learn more about the benefits of starting and growing your business in the Alexandria area, available land and buildings, business financial assistance and incentives, upcoming entrepreneur and small business training opportunities, or for more detailed information on assistance programs and services offered by the AAEDC and our partner organizations, contact the AAEDC at aaedc@rea-alp.com or (320) 763-4545.



Commonly Shared Entrepreneurial Traits
 Source: Nx Level Guide for Agricultural Entrepreneurs

 The following is a list of traits that have been identified as being common in successful entrepreneurs.
Please Note: All of the following traits have one thing in common - they are all things that an individual can work on and improve at.

 Passion: Loving what you are doing or going to do is essential to doing it well.

Persistence: Entrepreneurs are determined.  They carry a task to completion and are willing to work longer and harder than others to get it done.

Good Health & High Energy: Starting and running a business takes a tremendous amount of energy.  When an owner's health fails, the business is often not far behind.

Creativity/Innovation: New products and services come from new ideas and new ways of looking at a problem.  Its important to step back and take a new look once in a while.
Independence & Self-Reliance: When you own your own business no one is going to make the decisions for you.  With that in mind, an important part of independence is knowing what you don't know and what you don't do well and finding help.

Intuition: Entrepreneurs with intuition often have the ability to predict how a given set of circumstances will affect their business.

Self-Confidence: New business owners have to believe in their ability to make their business prosper.  The owner is the best advocate for the business - in sales, requesting financing, and marketing.  That being stated, successful entrepreneurs are also realistic and open to change and outside assistance.

Market Awareness: Successful business owners create their business around what customers want rather than deciding what their customers need.

Lack of Need for Status: Entrepreneurial status needs are satisfied by achieving goals rather than by accumulating "things" such as clothes, cars, boats, homes, etc.

Ability to Accept Challenges: Entrepreneurs are willing to accept challenges where they can influence the outcome.

Hard Work Ethic: Creating and growing a successful business takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time.

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