Opening a Business in Columbia, Louisiana

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Adult & Continuing Education Business guide or our How to Start a Home & Recreational Generators Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Columbia. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Columbia. Don't forget to review Columbia demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Columbia, Louisiana 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	3318
5-9 Employees	1890
10-19 Employees	630
20-49 Employees	420
50-99 Employees	168
100-249 Employees	84
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Columbia Businesses	6510

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	5
Business Associations	1
Child Day Care Services	3
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	1
Cotton Ginning	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Florists	2
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	2
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	2
Hardware Stores	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Jewelry Stores	1
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Logging	7
Masonry Contractors	1
Museums	1
New Car Dealers	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	2
Sewage Treatment Facilities	2
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Wood Preservation	1

What About Buying an Existing Columbia Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Naming the Business

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Columbia, it's very important that you make sure no other Louisiana company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Columbia business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Incubators.

For Columbia entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Louisiana Angel Investors and our List of Louisiana Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Columbia business, you need a solid marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. How to Get Started with Advertsing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Columbia and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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, Louisiana

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

• Resources for Columbia, Louisiana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbia entrepreneurs.
• Louisiana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Louisiana.
• Louisiana Small Business Development Center - The Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC Network) provides low- or no-cost guidance and training for small business owners and potential owners.
• Columbia, Louisiana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbia, Louisiana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbia area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Louisiana
Starting a Business in Colfax
Starting a Business in Coushatta

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Louisiana