Thinking about starting a business in Overland Park, Kansas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Overland Park.
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
Overland Park has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Overland Park demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Overland Park.
As a new Overland Park entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Overland Park 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
|
30 |
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
|
5 |
Architectural Services
|
29 |
Art Dealers
|
6 |
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
|
1 |
Automobile Driving Schools
|
4 |
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
|
2 |
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
|
4 |
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
|
7 |
Automotive Transmission Repair
|
1 |
Baked Goods Stores
|
1 |
Barber Shops
|
2 |
Beauty Salons
|
81 |
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
|
2 |
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
|
29 |
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
|
1 |
Blood and Organ Banks
|
2 |
Book Publishers
|
2 |
Book Stores
|
5 |
Books Printing
|
1 |
Bowling Centers
|
3 |
Building Inspection Services
|
6 |
Business Associations
|
11 |
Cable and Other Program Distribution
|
1 |
Cafeterias
|
3 |
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
|
5 |
Car Washes
|
5 |
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
|
10 |
Caterers
|
8 |
Child and Youth Services
|
6 |
Child Day Care Services
|
27 |
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
|
8 |
Civic and Social Organizations
|
10 |
Claims Adjusting
|
11 |
Clothing Accessories Stores
|
9 |
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
|
6 |
Collection Agencies
|
6 |
Commercial Bakeries
|
1 |
Commercial Lithographic Printing
|
9 |
Commercial Photography
|
4 |
Commercial Screen Printing
|
4 |
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
|
3 |
Commodity Contracts Dealing
|
2 |
Computer and Software Stores
|
14 |
Computer Facilities Management Services
|
3 |
Computer Systems Design Services
|
110 |
Computer Training
|
3 |
Confectionery and Nut Stores
|
4 |
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
|
3 |
Consumer Lending
|
7 |
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
|
3 |
Convenience Stores
|
5 |
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
|
11 |
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
|
2 |
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
|
2 |
Couriers
|
7 |
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
|
5 |
Credit Bureaus
|
4 |
Credit Card Issuing
|
4 |
Credit Unions
|
4 |
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
|
1 |
Custom Computer Programming Services
|
85 |
Dance Companies
|
1 |
Dental Laboratories
|
9 |
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
|
6 |
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
|
1 |
Digital Printing
|
2 |
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
|
1 |
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
|
39 |
Direct Mail Advertising
|
7 |
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
|
15 |
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
|
3 |
Discount Department Stores
|
6 |
Document Preparation Services
|
8 |
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
|
16 |
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
|
7 |
Educational Support Services
|
9 |
Electric Power Distribution
|
1 |
Electrical Contractors
|
23 |
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
|
1 |
Electronic Shopping
|
10 |
Elementary and Secondary Schools
|
1 |
Emergency and Other Relief Services
|
1 |
Employment Placement Agencies
|
18 |
Engineering Services
|
68 |
Environmental Consulting Services
|
16 |
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
|
3 |
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
|
6 |
Facilities Support Services
|
6 |
Family Clothing Stores
|
24 |
Family Planning Centers
|
1 |
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
|
3 |
Fine Arts Schools
|
15 |
Finish Carpentry Contractors
|
16 |
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
|
53 |
Floor Covering Stores
|
10 |
Flooring Contractors
|
9 |
Florists
|
13 |
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
|
6 |
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
|
1 |
Food Service Contractors
|
8 |
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
|
2 |
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
|
1 |
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
|
3 |
Framing Contractors
|
14 |
Freight Transportation Arrangement
|
22 |
Full-Service Restaurants
|
142 |
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
|
5 |
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
|
3 |
Furniture Stores
|
24 |
General Automotive Repair
|
13 |
General Freight Trucking, Local
|
6 |
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
|
2 |
General Warehousing and Storage
|
7 |
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
|
32 |
Glass and Glazing Contractors
|
1 |
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
|
8 |
Grantmaking Foundations
|
6 |
Graphic Design Services
|
21 |
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
|
3 |
Hardware Stores
|
5 |
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
|
14 |
Home Centers
|
2 |
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
|
10 |
Home Health Care Services
|
17 |
Home Health Equipment Rental
|
2 |
Homes for the Elderly
|
7 |
Household Appliance Stores
|
11 |
Industrial Building Construction
|
2 |
Industrial Design Services
|
3 |
Industrial Launderers
|
1 |
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
|
216 |
Interior Design Services
|
6 |
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
|
3 |
Internet Service Providers
|
1 |
Investigation Services
|
11 |
Investment Advice
|
57 |
Janitorial Services
|
52 |
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
|
1 |
Jewelry Stores
|
33 |
Kidney Dialysis Centers
|
2 |
Land Subdivision
|
5 |
Landscape Architectural Services
|
3 |
Landscaping Services
|
38 |
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
|
5 |
Libraries and Archives
|
1 |
Limited-Service Restaurants
|
140 |
Limousine Service
|
4 |
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
|
6 |
Locksmiths
|
5 |
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
|
2 |
Mail-Order Houses
|
6 |
Manifold Business Forms Printing
|
1 |
Marketing Consulting Services
|
43 |
Masonry Contractors
|
8 |
Meat Markets
|
2 |
Media Representatives
|
1 |
Medical Laboratories
|
14 |
Men's Clothing Stores
|
4 |
Miscellaneous Intermediation
|
3 |
Mixed Mode Transit Systems
|
1 |
Mobile Food Services
|
1 |
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
|
35 |
Motion Picture and Video Production
|
13 |
Motor Vehicle Towing
|
1 |
Motorcycle Dealers
|
2 |
Museums
|
1 |
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
|
5 |
Nail Salons
|
12 |
Natural Gas Distribution
|
2 |
New Car Dealers
|
12 |
New Housing Operative Builders
|
9 |
News Dealers and Newsstands
|
3 |
Newspaper Publishers
|
4 |
Nonresidential Property Managers
|
24 |
Nursing Care Facilities
|
10 |
Office Administrative Services
|
42 |
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
|
24 |
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
|
10 |
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
|
4 |
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
|
67 |
Offices of Chiropractors
|
27 |
Offices of Dentists
|
78 |
Offices of Lawyers
|
145 |
Offices of Optometrists
|
17 |
Offices of Other Holding Companies
|
12 |
Offices of Podiatrists
|
5 |
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
|
24 |
One-Hour Photofinishing
|
2 |
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
|
2 |
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
|
2 |
Optical Goods Stores
|
15 |
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
|
2 |
Packaging and Labeling Services
|
2 |
Packing and Crating
|
3 |
Paging
|
2 |
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
|
1 |
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
|
9 |
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
|
25 |
Passenger Car Rental
|
7 |
Payroll Services
|
5 |
Periodical Publishers
|
15 |
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
|
7 |
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
|
9 |
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
|
23 |
Photography Studios, Portrait
|
18 |
Political Organizations
|
1 |
Portfolio Management
|
23 |
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
|
2 |
Prepress Services
|
1 |
Private Mail Centers
|
8 |
Professional Employer Organizations
|
4 |
Professional Organizations
|
5 |
Public Relations Agencies
|
9 |
Quick Printing
|
4 |
Radio Stations
|
5 |
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
|
1 |
Real Estate Credit
|
72 |
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
|
1 |
Reinsurance Carriers
|
4 |
Remediation Services
|
1 |
Repossession Services
|
1 |
Residential Property Managers
|
35 |
Residential Remodelers
|
76 |
Retail Bakeries
|
1 |
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
|
5 |
Roofing Contractors
|
9 |
Sales Financing
|
18 |
Savings Institutions
|
16 |
Schiffli Machine Embroidery
|
1 |
Secondary Market Financing
|
1 |
Securities Brokerage
|
53 |
Security Guards and Patrol Services
|
8 |
Sewage Treatment Facilities
|
1 |
Shoe Stores
|
21 |
Siding Contractors
|
3 |
Sign Manufacturing
|
3 |
Site Preparation Contractors
|
10 |
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
|
31 |
Software Publishers
|
15 |
Software Reproducing
|
1 |
Sound Recording Studios
|
1 |
Special Needs Transportation
|
1 |
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
|
1 |
Sporting Goods Stores
|
22 |
Sports and Recreation Instruction
|
14 |
Tax Preparation Services
|
24 |
Taxi Service
|
1 |
Telecommunications Resellers
|
8 |
Telemarketing Bureaus
|
9 |
Telephone Answering Services
|
4 |
Temporary Help Services
|
67 |
Testing Laboratories
|
5 |
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
|
3 |
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
|
2 |
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
|
4 |
Tire Dealers
|
16 |
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
|
12 |
Tobacco Stores
|
3 |
Tour Operators
|
1 |
Tradebinding and Related Work
|
1 |
Translation and Interpretation Services
|
3 |
Travel Agencies
|
9 |
Used Car Dealers
|
5 |
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
|
4 |
Used Merchandise Stores
|
7 |
Vending Machine Operators
|
4 |
Veterinary Services
|
29 |
Video Tape and Disc Rental
|
10 |
Voluntary Health Organizations
|
2 |
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
|
4 |
Web Search Portals
|
2 |
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
|
137 |
Window Treatment Stores
|
5 |
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
|
60 |
Women's Clothing Stores
|
28 |
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
|
1 |
Getting your Overland Park business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.
Whether your goal is to attract Overland Park customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Overland Park or are selling to customers throughout Kansas, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
The best business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Overland Park, Kansas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Kansas universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Overland Park entrepreneurs.
You have a dream -- starting a business in Overland Park. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Overland Park and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Overland Park entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Overland Park.