Opening a Business in Charleston, Missouri

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Banners, Pennants, & Flags Business guide or our Opening a Pesticides Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Charleston. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Charleston. A critical consideration is whether Charleston demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Charleston, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2176
5-9 Employees	576
10-19 Employees	504
20-49 Employees	312
50-99 Employees	72
100-249 Employees	24
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Charleston Businesses	3664

As a new Charleston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Charleston 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Community Food Services	1
Convenience Stores	1
Direct Mail Advertising	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	2
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Ice Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Landscaping Services	1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	5
Machine Shops	1
Marketing Consulting Services	2
New Car Dealers	3
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Passenger Car Leasing	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Remodelers	2
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Charleston and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Costs of Franchise Ownership. 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 The Haagen-Dazs Shoppe Company, Inc. and Mr Food no Fuss Meals. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Blind Repair and Sales Franchises and Flooring Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Charleston Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Missouri. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Charleston.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Charleston, Missouri

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Missouri, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Missouri. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Charleston, Missouri, our information on Incorporating in Missouri may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Missouri.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Charleston, Missouri, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Missouri universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Charleston networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

We are here to help Charleston businesses to be successful. 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 Charleston, Missouri

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

• Resources for Charleston, Missouri Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Charleston entrepreneurs.
• Missouri Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Missouri.
• Missouri Small Business Development Center - Missouri Small Business Development Center business specialists are uniquely qualified to help small businesses get started, develop and thrive.
• Charleston, Missouri Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Charleston, Missouri newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Charleston area.
• Charleston, Missouri Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Charleston, Missouri area radio stations.

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