Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Murray, Kentucky

Contemplating starting a business in Murray, Kentucky? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Murray.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Agricultural Law Attorneys Firm guide or our How to Start a Disability Employment Agencies Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Murray. Some businesses will do better in Murray than others. Don't forget to review Murray demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Murray, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4312
5-9 Employees
2016
10-19 Employees
1356
20-49 Employees
900
50-99 Employees
240
100-249 Employees
48
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
24
All Murray Businesses
8944

As a new Murray entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Murray 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
8
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
12
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Display Advertising
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Electrical Contractors
4
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Engineering Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
5
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Household Appliance Stores
3
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
18
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry Stores
3
Landscaping Services
8
Limited-Service Restaurants
27
Locksmiths
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
11
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
14
Offices of Lawyers
16
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Payroll Services
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Savings Institutions
3
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
4
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Weft Knit Fabric Mills
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
6

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Murray Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Kentucky. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Murray.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Kentucky.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Murray business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Murray entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Kentucky Angel Investors and our List of Kentucky Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Company

To grow your Murray business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Pros and Cons of Advertising is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Murray and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Murray, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Murray, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Murray, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Murray entrepreneurs.
  • Kentucky Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Small Business Development Center - The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has been assisting Kentucky small business community for more than 25 years. KSBDC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with regional universities, community and private colleges, and the private sector.

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