Missouri Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Lexington, Missouri

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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 Lexington. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Lexington, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5922
5-9 Employees
1890
10-19 Employees
702
20-49 Employees
540
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
270
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Lexington Businesses
9432

As a new Lexington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lexington 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
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
2
Boat Dealers
1
Cafeterias
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
2
Full-Service Restaurants
6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Janitorial Services
2
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
3
Masonry Contractors
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
12
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Portfolio Management
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Savings Institutions
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Lexington businesses and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying a Franchise. 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 Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning and Cinnamon City. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Hotel and Motel Franchises and Kitchen Design Franchises.

Note on Lexington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Lexington.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Lexington Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Missouri. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Lexington.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Lexington business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Lexington entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Why Salespeople Fail offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Lexington 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 Lexington, Missouri

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

More Startup Articles for Missouri Cities

Starting a Business in Lees Summit
Starting a Business in Liberal

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

 

 

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