Missouri Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Albany, Missouri
Are you starting a business in Albany, Missouri? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Albany.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Albany. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Which Business to Choose?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Horse Shows Business guide or our Opening a Paving Stones Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Albany has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Albany than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Albany demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Albany, Missouri Demographic Information
Albany has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Albany demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Albany.
Businesses
As a new Albany entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Albany 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Albany Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Missouri. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Albany.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in Albany, Missouri
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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. 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 Missouri, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Missouri. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Albany, Missouri, our information on Incorporating in Missouri may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Missouri.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Albany business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Albany entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Albany or are selling to customers throughout Missouri, 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? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Selling on the Phone is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Albany. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Albany and throughout the United States . 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 Albany, Missouri
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Albany.
- Resources for Albany, Missouri Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Albany entrepreneurs.
- Missouri Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Missouri.
- Missouri Small Business Development Center - Missouri Small Business Development Center business specialists are uniquely qualified to help small businesses get started, develop and thrive.
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