Are you starting a business in Hutchinson, Kansas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Hutchinson.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Most startup ventures fail, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Hutchinson. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Talk it over with a close friend or partner. 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.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at How to Evaluate a Business Idea.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Fishing Tournaments Business guide or our Starting a Sash Balances & Weights Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Hutchinson. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Hutchinson. A critical consideration is whether Hutchinson demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Hutchinson, Kansas Demographic Information
Hutchinson has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hutchinson demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hutchinson.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
4618 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1656 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1134 |
| 20-49 Employees |
768 |
| 50-99 Employees |
282 |
| 100-249 Employees |
204 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
6 |
| All Hutchinson Businesses |
8692 |
As a new Hutchinson entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hutchinson 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 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
1 |
| Advertising Agencies |
4 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
5 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
13 |
| Barber Shops |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
5 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
3 |
| Child and Youth Services |
6 |
| Child Day Care Services |
16 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
11 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
6 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
4 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
3 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
4 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
3 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
9 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Dry Pasta Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
5 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
7 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
8 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Fluid Milk Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
33 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
13 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
11 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
7 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
41 |
| Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
17 |
| Jewelry Stores |
7 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
18 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
49 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
8 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
2 |
| Mobile Food Services |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
4 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
5 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
11 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
9 |
| Offices of Dentists |
20 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
25 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
5 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Paperboard Mills |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
6 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Roofing Contractors |
7 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
13 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
3 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
6 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
5 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Textile Bag Mills |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
7 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
6 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
3 |
| Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Hutchinson and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Blendz Franchise System Inc. and ColorChef Custom Painters. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Specialty Foods Franchises and Health and Beauty Franchises.
Note on Hutchinson Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Hutchinson.
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.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Hutchinson, it's imperative that you check now that no other Kansas company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Writing a business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Kansas.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Hutchinson, 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 organizations for Hutchinson entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
Most new Hutchinson businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Hutchinson and throughout the United States . 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 Hutchinson, Kansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hutchinson.
- Resources for Hutchinson, Kansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hutchinson 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.
- Hutchinson, Kansas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hutchinson, Kansas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hutchinson area.
- Hutchinson, Kansas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Hutchinson, Kansas area radio stations.
- Hutchinson, Kansas Payroll Services - This list includes Hutchinson, Kansas payroll services, national payroll services for Hutchinson, and helpful information on choosing a Hutchinson payroll service.
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