Georgia Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Columbus, Georgia

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Most new ventures don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Columbus. 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.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good 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 a Quarry guide or our Opening a Waterjet Cutting Services Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Columbus. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Columbus. Study Columbus demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Columbus, Georgia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
85862
5-9 Employees
35196
10-19 Employees
28252
20-49 Employees
19446
50-99 Employees
5502
100-249 Employees
3696
250-499 Employees
1008
500-999 Employees
252
1000+ Employees
336
All Columbus Businesses
179550

As a new Columbus entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbus 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
Aircraft Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
2
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
6
Architectural Services
9
Art Dealers
3
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
7
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
24
Automotive Transmission Repair
11
Baked Goods Stores
4
Beauty Salons
57
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
31
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
9
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
2
Business Associations
7
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
8
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
15
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child and Youth Services
8
Child Day Care Services
50
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
7
Civic and Social Organizations
27
Claims Adjusting
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
6
Collection Agencies
11
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
4
Community Food Services
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
12
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
30
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
13
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dance Companies
1
Dental Laboratories
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
12
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
3
Discount Department Stores
6
Display Advertising
5
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
29
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
11
Electric Power Distribution
6
Electronic Auctions
1
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
12
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
13
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
19
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
11
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
21
Flooring Contractors
8
Florists
14
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
10
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
16
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
3
Framing Contractors
9
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
118
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
9
Furniture Stores
23
General Automotive Repair
45
General Freight Trucking, Local
9
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
4
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
7
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
18
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
13
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
HMO Medical Centers
1
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
5
Home Health Care Services
15
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
13
Household Appliance Stores
7
Human Rights Organizations
2
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Launderers
3
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
98
Interior Design Services
6
Internet Service Providers
2
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
28
Jewelry Stores
28
Kidney Dialysis Centers
4
Land Subdivision
6
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
37
Limited-Service Restaurants
170
Linen Supply
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Luggage Manufacturing
1
Machine Shops
7
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
12
Mattress Manufacturing
2
Meat Markets
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
9
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
18
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
8
Office Administrative Services
12
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
11
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
34
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
30
Offices of Chiropractors
18
Offices of Dentists
69
Offices of Lawyers
110
Offices of Optometrists
12
Offices of Other Holding Companies
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
12
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
7
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
23
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
5
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
33
Photography Studios, Portrait
7
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
8
Private Mail Centers
5
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
6
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
8
Real Estate Credit
24
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Remediation Services
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
16
Residential Remodelers
18
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
8
Sales Financing
4
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
17
Security Guards and Patrol Services
8
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
6
Site Preparation Contractors
13
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
12
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
13
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Sports Teams and Clubs
2
Storage Battery Manufacturing
2
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
22
Taxi Service
6
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Television Broadcasting
4
Temporary Help Services
23
Temporary Shelters
3
Textile Bag Mills
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
4
Tire Dealers
15
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
19
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
10
Used Merchandise Stores
21
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
17
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
8
Women's Clothing Stores
37
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Yarn Spinning Mills
4

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Columbus Business?

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

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

Startup Financing Basics

Raising money to fund your new Columbus business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.

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

Letting the World Know You Exist

To grow your Columbus business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising in the Yellow Pages discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

What's Next?

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

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Columbus and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Columbus 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 Columbus, Georgia

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Georgia

Starting a Business in Colquitt
Starting a Business in Commerce

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

 

 

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