Open a Business in Columbus, Montana

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

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Columbus. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

Columbus, Montana 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	3598
5-9 Employees	882
10-19 Employees	378
20-49 Employees	336
50-99 Employees	168
100-249 Employees	84
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Columbus Businesses	5446

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
Aircraft Manufacturing	1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Credit Unions	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	3
Electric Power Distribution	2
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	2
Full-Service Restaurants	5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Museums	2
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Dentists	1
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Optometrists	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Truss Manufacturing	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Wood Preservation	1

Choosing a Business Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Columbus, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only Montana company using the business name you have chosen.

Company Formation in Columbus, Montana

It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield 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.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Montana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Montana. As it turns out, you are allowed to 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's a lot to know about 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 Columbus, Montana, our information on Incorporating in Montana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Montana.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Columbus business will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How to Raise Money.

For Columbus entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Montana Angel Investors and our List of Montana Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

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

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 Techniques 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.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Columbus and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Columbus 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 Columbus, Montana

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

• Resources for Columbus, Montana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbus entrepreneurs.
• Montana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Montana.
• Montana Small Business Development Center - The Montana Small Business Development Centers focus on the creation, retention and expansion of Montana small businesses.
• Columbus, Montana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbus, Montana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbus area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Montana
Starting a Business in Columbia Falls
Starting a Business in Conrad

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