Thinking about starting a business in Dexter, Missouri? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Dexter.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Dexter. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Dexter, Missouri Demographic Information
Dexter has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Dexter demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Dexter.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
5670 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2403 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1323 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1134 |
| 50-99 Employees |
378 |
| 100-249 Employees |
162 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
54 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Dexter Businesses |
11124 |
As a new Dexter entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dexter 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
13 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
7 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
12 |
| Janitorial Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
9 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
7 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
5 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
7 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Poultry Processing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
9 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
2 |
Should You Franchise?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Dexter and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Questions to Ask Franchisors. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Audio/Video Handyman and Home Instead Senior Care. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Soccer Franchises and Payday Loan Franchises.
Note on Dexter Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Dexter, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Company
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 starting a business in Dexter, it's imperative that you check now that no Missouri company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
Writing a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. 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 will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
To learn more about business plans, read Free Business Plan Templates. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Missouri.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Obtaining startup financing for your Dexter business 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.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.
For Dexter entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.
Moving Forward
Most new Dexter businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Dexter and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Dexter, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Dexter, Missouri
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Dexter.
- Resources for Dexter, Missouri Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Dexter entrepreneurs.
- Missouri Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Missouri.
- Missouri Small Business Development Center - Missouri Small Business Development Center business specialists are uniquely qualified to help small businesses get started, develop and thrive.
- Dexter, Missouri Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Dexter, Missouri newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Dexter area.
- Dexter, Missouri Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Dexter, Missouri area radio stations.
- Dexter, Missouri Payroll Services - This list includes Dexter, Missouri payroll services, national payroll services for Dexter, and helpful information on choosing a Dexter payroll service.
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