Missouri Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Kirksville, Missouri

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Kirksville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Kirksville, Missouri Demographic Information

Kirksville has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Kirksville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Kirksville.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1124
5-9 Employees
372
10-19 Employees
264
20-49 Employees
177
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
21
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Kirksville Businesses
2003

As a new Kirksville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kirksville 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
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
9
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
10
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Consumer Lending
4
Couriers
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
5
Family Planning Centers
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Linen Supply
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
14
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
4
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Is Buying an Existing Kirksville Business a Good Strategy?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Missouri. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Kirksville.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Kirksville, Missouri

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Missouri, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Missouri. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Kirksville, Missouri, our web page covering Incorporating in Missouri may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Missouri.

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Kirksville business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Kirksville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Kirksville or are selling to customers throughout Missouri, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Sales Training 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.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Kirksville, Missouri, you should check out some of the learning programs at local Missouri educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Kirksville entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Kirksville. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Kirksville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Kirksville 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 Kirksville, Missouri

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

More Business Startup Guides for Missouri

Starting a Business in King City
Starting a Business in Knob Noster

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Missouri
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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