Starting a Business in Columbia, Mississippi

Are you starting a business in Columbia, Mississippi? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Columbia.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read How to Evaluate a Business 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 How to Start a Mail Box Rental Business guide or our Opening a Cut Stone & Stone Products Manufacturers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that Columbia is the place where you are starting a business. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Columbia. Only by spending some time analyzing Columbia demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Columbia, Mississippi 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	10486
5-9 Employees	5082
10-19 Employees	2016
20-49 Employees	1932
50-99 Employees	378
100-249 Employees	210
250-499 Employees	168
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Columbia Businesses	20272

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 Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	7
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Beauty Salons	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Business Associations	4
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	2
Consumer Lending	11
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	2
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	8
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	1
Furniture Stores	4
General Automotive Repair	7
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Household Appliance Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	13
Jewelry Stores	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	19
Logging	3
Masonry Contractors	1
Meat Markets	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
New Car Dealers	5
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	4
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	8
Offices of Lawyers	11
Offices of Optometrists	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	6
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Radio Stations	2
Real Estate Credit	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Roofing Contractors	4
Savings Institutions	2
Sawmills	2
Securities Brokerage	1
Shoe Stores	1
Site Preparation Contractors	8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Support Activities for Forestry	2
Tax Preparation Services	2
Timber Tract Operations	1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	2
Tire Dealers	3
Tire Retreading	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	5
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	2

What About Buying an Existing Columbia Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Columbia.

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

Choosing a Company Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Columbia, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Mississippi business.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Columbia customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Internet Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Columbia, Mississippi, you should investigate some of the learning programs at local Mississippi educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Columbia entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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.

We are here to help Columbia businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Columbia entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbia, Mississippi

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

• Resources for Columbia, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbia entrepreneurs.
• Mississippi Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Mississippi.
• Mississippi Small Business Development Center - The Mississippi Small Business Development Centers (MSBDC) is dedicated to helping build and grow businesses in Mississippi. For new entrepreneurs, this is an excellent resource.
• Columbia, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbia, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbia area.
• Columbia, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Columbia, Mississippi area radio stations.
• Columbia, Mississippi Payroll Services - This list includes Columbia, Mississippi payroll services, national payroll services for Columbia, and helpful information on choosing a Columbia payroll service.
• Columbia, Mississippi Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Columbia, Mississippi, such as business brokers in Columbia and other helpful information on how to buy a Columbia business.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Mississippi
Starting a Business in Collins
Starting a Business in Columbus

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