Thinking about starting a business in Dodge City, Kansas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Dodge City.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.
If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Orthopedic Appliances Retail Business guide or our Opening a Paramedics Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Dodge City. Some businesses will do better in Dodge City than others. Don't forget to review Dodge City demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Dodge City, Kansas Demographic Information
Dodge City has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Dodge City demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Dodge City.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2290 |
| 5-9 Employees |
984 |
| 10-19 Employees |
594 |
| 20-49 Employees |
414 |
| 50-99 Employees |
132 |
| 100-249 Employees |
48 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Dodge City Businesses |
4480 |
As a new Dodge City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dodge City 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 and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
3 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Beauty Salons |
9 |
|
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
|
Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Casino Hotels |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
1 |
|
Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
4 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
2 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Couriers |
4 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
|
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
9 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
|
Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
5 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
|
Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
21 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
6 |
|
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
|
Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
19 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
|
Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
4 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
|
Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
4 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
3 |
|
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
7 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
|
Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
8 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
12 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
16 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
7 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
|
Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
|
Racetracks |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
|
Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
5 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
|
Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
|
Telecommunications Resellers |
2 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
|
Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
|
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
8 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Dodge City and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Jackson's All American Sports Grill and Kids 'N' Clay. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Healthcare Franchises.
Note on Dodge City Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Dodge City, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Dodge City Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Kansas. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Dodge City.
If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
Writing a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Kansas.
Marketing Your New Business
To grow your Dodge City business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Promoting an Online Business is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Dodge City, 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 groups or organizations in which Dodge City entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Dodge City, 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 Dodge City 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 Dodge City, Kansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Dodge City.
- Resources for Dodge City, Kansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Dodge City entrepreneurs.
- Kansas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kansas.
- Kansas Small Business Development Center - The KSBDC Network provides Kansas entrepreneurs and small business owners with knowledge, tools and resources to enhance their success. Contact them and they will help you identify your business needs and guide you toward opportunities and solutions.
- Dodge City, Kansas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Dodge City, Kansas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Dodge City area.
- Dodge City, Kansas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Dodge City, Kansas area radio stations.
- Dodge City, Kansas Payroll Services - This list includes Dodge City, Kansas payroll services, national payroll services for Dodge City, and helpful information on choosing a Dodge City payroll service.
- Dodge City, Kansas Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Dodge City, Kansas, such as business brokers in Dodge City and other helpful information on how to buy a Dodge City business.
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