Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Owensboro, Kentucky

Are you starting a business in Owensboro, Kentucky? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Owensboro.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Evaluating Your Idea.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Coal Brokers Business guide or our Starting a Private Racquetball Courts Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Owensboro. Some businesses will do better in Owensboro than others. Make sure you fully understand Owensboro demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Owensboro, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2884
5-9 Employees
1431
10-19 Employees
1059
20-49 Employees
702
50-99 Employees
210
100-249 Employees
156
250-499 Employees
33
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
3
All Owensboro Businesses
6487

As a new Owensboro entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Owensboro 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
3
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
3
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
3
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
6
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
20
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
18
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
11
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
3
Business Associations
9
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
28
Civic and Social Organizations
17
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Flexographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
6
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
5
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
11
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Distilleries
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
23
Electronic Shopping
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Engineering Services
10
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Explosives Manufacturing
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
6
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
7
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Florists
7
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
2
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
15
General Freight Trucking, Local
8
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
13
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
3
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Launderers
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
35
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
5
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
16
Jewelry Stores
11
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
18
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
66
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Logging
1
Machine Shops
8
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
4
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
9
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
3
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
8
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
15
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Lawyers
62
Offices of Optometrists
9
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Packing and Crating
2
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
22
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil
1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
3
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
8
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
5
Residential Remodelers
17
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
6
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
17
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
10
Siding Contractors
10
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
11
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Temporary Shelters
3
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
21
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
11
Vending Machine Operators
4
Veterinary Services
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
11
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

What About Buying an Existing Owensboro Business?

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

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Owensboro, it's imperative that you check now that no other Kentucky company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Kentucky.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Owensboro business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Attracting Investors.

For Owensboro entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Kentucky Angel Investors and our List of Kentucky Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

Most new Owensboro businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Owensboro businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Owensboro, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Owensboro, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Owensboro, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Owensboro 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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