Missouri Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Columbia, Missouri

Need help starting a business in Columbia, Missouri? We've got the information you need to open a business in Columbia.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Columbia. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

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 Starting an Ornamental Shrub & Tree Services Business guide or our Opening a Sound Level Testing Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Columbia has some implications. 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, Missouri 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
81214
5-9 Employees
29386
10-19 Employees
21840
20-49 Employees
14280
50-99 Employees
4368
100-249 Employees
2646
250-499 Employees
672
500-999 Employees
336
1000+ Employees
168
All Columbia Businesses
154910

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
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
17
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
47
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Blood and Organ Banks
5
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
14
Cable and Other Program Distribution
6
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
12
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
9
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
5
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child Day Care Services
65
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
5
Civic and Social Organizations
20
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
5
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
3
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Systems Design Services
15
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
5
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
11
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
19
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
3
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
28
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
18
Educational Support Services
3
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electronic Auctions
2
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
25
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
15
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
8
Finish Carpentry Contractors
23
Floor Covering Stores
7
Flooring Contractors
8
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Service Contractors
11
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
118
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
22
General Automotive Repair
37
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
5
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
19
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
2
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
7
Home Centers
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
17
Homes for the Elderly
5
Household Appliance Stores
9
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
86
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
25
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
13
Land Subdivision
12
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
45
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
99
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
2
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
6
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
7
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
10
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
5
Men's Clothing Stores
4
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
15
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Music Publishers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
6
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
2
New Car Dealers
12
New Housing Operative Builders
18
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
News Syndicates
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
22
Offices of Chiropractors
21
Offices of Dentists
55
Offices of Lawyers
86
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
12
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Optical Goods Stores
7
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
4
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
8
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
2
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
2
Poultry Processing
1
Private Mail Centers
5
Professional Organizations
8
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
1
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
9
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
6
Real Estate Credit
5
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
22
Residential Remodelers
30
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Rooming and Boarding Houses
25
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
4
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
19
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Shoe Stores
15
Siding Contractors
11
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
16
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Software Publishers
4
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
19
Sports and Recreation Instruction
14
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
9
Taxi Service
4
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
17
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tobacco Stores
4
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
5
Used Car Dealers
17
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
16
Video Tape and Disc Rental
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
5
Voluntary Health Organizations
4
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
21

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Missouri.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Columbia and advance your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising on Google discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Columbia business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling Stuff on the Web is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Never Give Up

Most new Columbia businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Columbia and throughout the United States . 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, Missouri

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Missouri

Starting a Business in Clinton
Starting a Business in Concordia

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Missouri
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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