Sherry Wynn ⋅ Austin, TX IBM ⋅ 20 years experience

Erick,

IBM offers a free platform with a lot of great content and strategies for small business owners. Check it out here: https://skillsbuild.org/reignite

Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

Erick, do you mean nighttime child care? I would start here: https://sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/Content/Licensing/Welcome.aspx and then, yes, contact the alderman's office or city planning/zoning dept to check out any local restrictions

If you can post a more specific question, then you'll get more and better advice from AdvisorNet volunteers.

Matt Johnson ⋅ Chicago, IL EY-Parthenon ⋅ 10 years experience

Erick,
Before getting down to the tactical level of zoning, there are some big initial questions you must answer to ensure you have a profitable business model.

Start with why people would buy your service rather than the competition?
What is your overall strategy - is it using your geography to drive sales? If so, how will you select a site to capture more customers and drive sales. Also, who will be moving next door? Can that help or disrupt your business?

You will also need to research the market, competitors, and similar business models. Use data to avoid falling in love with your own plan and viewing the opportunity objective. Is the data supporting your business decision must be accurate (or biased), compelling, and sourced? Must be all three.

Finally, what will be your return on investment? Understanding the cash needed and how much you'll burn in operations from (best and worst case) using a bottom-up assessment of operations will help inform your decision. Asking questions of current night care owners is a great place to start.
Funding your business idea may take one of several routes but it's important to get to the initial questions answered first.