Kansas Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Baldwin City, Kansas

Need help starting a business in Baldwin City, Kansas? We've got the information you need to open a business in Baldwin City.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most new ventures fail, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Baldwin City. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Baldwin City, Kansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
363
5-9 Employees
105
10-19 Employees
45
20-49 Employees
18
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Baldwin City Businesses
537

As a new Baldwin City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Baldwin City 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
Baked Goods Stores
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Computer Training
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
3
Full-Service Restaurants
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Hunting and Trapping
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Machine Shops
2
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Representatives
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
6
Rooming and Boarding Houses
5
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
3

Picking a Business Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Baldwin City, it's imperative that you check now that no other Kansas company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Baldwin City, Kansas

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Kansas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Kansas. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Baldwin City, Kansas, our information on Incorporating in Kansas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Kansas.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Baldwin City business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. 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 Attracting Investors.

For Baldwin City entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Kansas Angel Investors and our List of Kansas Venture Capital Firms.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Baldwin City business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Sales Forecasting 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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Baldwin City, 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 Baldwin City networking organizations.

What's Next?

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

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Baldwin City and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Baldwin City 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 Baldwin City, Kansas

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

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