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  Entrepreneurial Resources - Advice for Kansas Entrepreneurs  
  Columbus, Kansas Resources for Entrepreneurs  
Gaebler Ventures is a business incubator, holding company, and private equity firm. We help entrepreneurs transform ideas and innovations into greatness.

Starting a Business in Columbus, Kansas

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

Choosing the Right Company to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Mud Jacking Contractors Business guide or our Opening a Shopping Services Commercial Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Columbus. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Columbus. Study Columbus demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Columbus, Kansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees 2982
5-9 Employees 1092
10-19 Employees 756
20-49 Employees 462
50-99 Employees 210
100-249 Employees 42
250-499 Employees 42
500-999 Employees 0
1000+ Employees 0
All Columbus Businesses 5586

As a new Columbus entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbus 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
Ambulance Services 1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores 1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores 2
Business Associations 2
Child Day Care Services 1
Civic and Social Organizations 2
Commercial Lithographic Printing 3
Community Food Services 1
Computer Systems Design Services 1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers 1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers 1
Florists 1
Framing Contractors 1
Full-Service Restaurants 2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services 2
Furniture Stores 1
General Automotive Repair 4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1
General Rental Centers 1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs 1
Hardware Stores 1
Homes for the Elderly 1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages 4
Land Subdivision 1
Limited-Service Restaurants 5
Manifold Business Forms Printing 1
Meat Markets 1
Museums 1
New Car Dealers 2
New Housing Operative Builders 1
Newspaper Publishers 1
Nursing Care Facilities 1
Office Administrative Services 1
Offices of Dentists 2
Offices of Lawyers 3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores 1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals 1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores 2
Photography Studios, Portrait 1
Professional Organizations 1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers 1
Residential Remodelers 1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 1
Solid Waste Collection 1
Solid Waste Landfill 1
Tax Preparation Services 1
Tire Dealers 2
Used Car Dealers 1
Veterinary Services 2
Video Tape and Disc Rental 1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers 1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Columbus businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Selling A Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include UBuildIt and Line-X Corp.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cell Phone Franchises and Automotive Services Franchises.

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

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Columbus business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Angel Investors.

For Columbus entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, browse our List of Kansas Angel Investors and our List of Kansas Venture Capital Firms.

How to Sell

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Columbus or are selling to customers throughout Kansas, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Closing Sales is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

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

Now It's Up To You

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Columbus and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Columbus, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbus, Kansas

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Kansas
Starting a Business in Coldwater
Starting a Business in Concordia

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

 

 

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Starting a Business - Business Ideas - Naming and Branding - City Guides

Buying a Business - Writing a Business Plan - Raising Money - Incorporate

Small Business Marketing - Customer Service Tips - Entrepreneurial Selling

Startup Leadership - Strategy - Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurs

Articles on Exporting - Human Resources for Entrepreneurs - Workers Comp

Legal Information for Entrepreneurs - Sarbanes-Oxley - Accounting - SBDC

Business Credit Cards - Nonprofit Entrepreneurs - Mission Statements

Tax Tips and Resources for Entrepreneurs - Operating Your Startup Business

Real Estate Decisions for Entrepreneurs - Franchising - Selling a Business

Starting a Home Business - Small Business Technology - Business Travel

Business Finance - Advice for Retailers - Entrepreneurship for Scientists

Administrative Professionals / Office Managers - Family Business Advice

Good Businesses to Start - Start an Energy Business - Start a Hedge Fund

Payroll Service Information - Productivity Tips - Bad Economy Advice

Small Business Websites - Search Engine Optimization - Online Reputation

Search Engine Marketing - Social Marketing Optimization - Business Forms

Business in the Jungle - Business in Fiction - Negotiating - Radio Ad Costs

Newspaper Advertising Rates - City-Specific Resources for Entrepreneurs

Small Business Insurance - Global Entrepreneurship - China & Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Features - Acquisition Speculation - Business Book Reviews

Small Business Loans - Studying Entrepreneurship - Social Entrepreneurship

Veteran Entrepreneurs - Useful Web Sites for Entrepreneurs - Dell Deals

Entrepreneurial Resources by State - Resources for Young Entrepreneurs

African American Entrepreneurs - Resources for Hispanic Entrepreneurs

Resources for Asian Entrepreneurs - Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Resources for Gay Entrepreneurs - Businesses for Sale - Office Supplies

Economics - Lists of Small Business Incubators - Lists of Angel Investors

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms - Franchise Opportunities

Recommended Products and Services for Entrepreneurs - Contributors

Get FREE Price Quotes from Multiple Vendors - Business Glossary