Kansas Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Lincoln, Kansas

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

Lincoln, Kansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1872
5-9 Employees
858
10-19 Employees
351
20-49 Employees
39
50-99 Employees
78
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Lincoln Businesses
3198

As a new Lincoln entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lincoln 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Business Associations
3
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Credit Unions
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
2
Museums
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Remediation Services
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Lincoln and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Before Buying a Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Lincoln Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Lincoln, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Should You Buy an Existing Lincoln Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Kansas. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Lincoln.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Lincoln, Kansas

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

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. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Kansas, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Kansas. 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 LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Lincoln, Kansas, our information on Incorporating in Kansas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Kansas.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Kansas.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Lincoln business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Lincoln entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Kansas Angel Investors and our List of Kansas Venture Capital Firms.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lincoln, Kansas

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

More Business Startup Guides for Kansas

Starting a Business in Liberal
Starting a Business in Lindsborg

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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