Starting a Business in Columbus, Wisconsin

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

Columbus, Wisconsin 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.

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.

Is Buying an Existing Columbus Business a Good Strategy?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Wisconsin. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Columbus.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Selecting a Name For Your Startup

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

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

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Columbus, it's critical that you ensure that no other Wisconsin company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Columbus, Wisconsin

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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 common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Wisconsin, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Wisconsin. In fact, 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 Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Columbus, Wisconsin, our information on Incorporating in Wisconsin may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Wisconsin.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Columbus business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Columbus entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Wisconsin Angel Investors and our List of Wisconsin Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Columbus customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising in the Yellow Pages is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Columbus business, you need to focus on sales.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling Stuff on the Web 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

As an entrepreneur in Columbus, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Columbus businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbus, Wisconsin

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

• Resources for Columbus, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbus entrepreneurs.
• Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Wisconsin.
• West Virginia Small Business Development Center - The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) promotes economic development through a program of practical, interrelated services, providing assistance to existing West Virginia small businesses and the emerging West Virginia entrepreneur.
• Columbus, Wisconsin Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Columbus, Wisconsin newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Columbus area.