Start a Business in Columbia, Illinois

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Columbia. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

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 Ceramic Products Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Starting a Materials Handling Equipment & Supplies Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Columbia. Some businesses will do better in Columbia than others. Make sure you fully understand Columbia demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Columbia, Illinois Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8568
5-9 Employees	3108
10-19 Employees	1806
20-49 Employees	1176
50-99 Employees	378
100-249 Employees	210
250-499 Employees	42
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Columbia Businesses	15288

As a new Columbia entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbia 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	2
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Beauty Salons	7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	2
Caterers	2
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Gravure Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Computer Training	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	2
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Engineering Services	6
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	4
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Stores	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Interior Design Services	1
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	3
Janitorial Services	3
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	2
Landscaping Services	4
Limited-Service Restaurants	9
Machine Shops	1
Marine Cargo Handling	1
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Nail Salons	1
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction	1
Navigational Services to Shipping	1
New Car Dealers	3
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	6
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	7
Offices of Optometrists	4
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Public Relations Agencies	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	4
Real Estate Credit	1
Reinsurance Carriers	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	5
Roofing Contractors	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Software Publishers	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Support Activities for Coal Mining	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	2
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	1
Truss Manufacturing	2
Used Car Dealers	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3

Forming a Company in Columbia, Illinois

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect 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.

Incorporation 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 Illinois, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Illinois. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Columbia, Illinois, our information on Incorporating in Illinois may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Illinois.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Illinois.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Columbia business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Columbia entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Illinois Angel Investors and our List of Illinois Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Columbia customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Sponsoring Local Events is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Columbia, 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 Columbia businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Columbia, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbia, Illinois

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

• Resources for Columbia, Illinois Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbia entrepreneurs.
• Illinois Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Illinois.
• Illinois Small Business Development Center - Illinois Small Business Development Centers located throughout the state provide assistance to new and existing small businesses.
• Columbia, Illinois Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbia, Illinois newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbia area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Illinois
Starting a Business in Collinsville
Starting a Business in Crystal Lake

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