Contemplating starting a business in Hays, Kansas? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Hays.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to start a business?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Hays. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. 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.
Hays, Kansas Demographic Information
Hays has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hays demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hays.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6192 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2508 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1560 |
| 20-49 Employees |
804 |
| 50-99 Employees |
228 |
| 100-249 Employees |
120 |
| 250-499 Employees |
48 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Hays Businesses |
11472 |
As a new Hays entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hays 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 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
|
Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
9 |
| Book Stores |
5 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
|
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
6 |
| Child Day Care Services |
12 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
|
Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
3 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
3 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
|
Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
3 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
3 |
|
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
4 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
12 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
|
Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
|
Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
19 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
6 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
|
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
9 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
|
Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
27 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
3 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
|
Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
11 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Machine Shops |
4 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
|
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
|
Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
15 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
14 |
|
Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
|
Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
4 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
4 |
|
Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
5 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
|
Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
9 |
|
Storage Battery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
|
Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
7 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
5 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
|
Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
10 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Hays Business?
We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Kansas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Hays.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
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.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Hays, it's critical that you ensure that no other Kansas company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Kansas.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Hays business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Cash Advances.
For Hays entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Kansas Angel Investors and our List of Kansas Venture Capital Firms.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Hays, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Hays and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Hays 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 Hays, Kansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hays.
- Resources for Hays, Kansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hays 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.
- Hays, Kansas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hays, Kansas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hays area.
- Hays, Kansas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Hays, Kansas area radio stations.
- Hays, Kansas Payroll Services - This list includes Hays, Kansas payroll services, national payroll services for Hays, and helpful information on choosing a Hays payroll service.
- Hays, Kansas Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Hays, Kansas, such as business brokers in Hays and other helpful information on how to buy a Hays business.
More Business Startup Guides for Kansas
Starting a Business in Harper
Starting a Business in Haysville
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Kansas
Starting a Business
Guides for Other States
