Missouri Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in La Plata, Missouri

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before quitting your day job, 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:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in La Plata. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Evaluating Your Idea.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Filter Cleaning Business guide or our How to Start a Phone Equipment & Systems Rental & Leasing Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in La Plata. Some businesses will do better in La Plata than others. A critical consideration is whether La Plata demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

La Plata, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
202
5-9 Employees
42
10-19 Employees
24
20-49 Employees
0
50-99 Employees
0
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All La Plata Businesses
268

As a new La Plata entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in La Plata 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
Convenience Stores
1
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil
1
Remediation Services
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Used Car Dealers
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around La Plata, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising My Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Frozen Ropes Training Centers and EWF International. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children Arts Programs Franchises and Coffee Shop Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in La Plata, Missouri

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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 Missouri, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Missouri. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in La Plata, Missouri, our information on Incorporating in Missouri may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Missouri.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in La Plata, Missouri, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Missouri universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into La Plata networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

We are here to help La Plata businesses to be successful. 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 La Plata, Missouri

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Missouri

Starting a Business in Knob Noster
Starting a Business in Lamar

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary