Kansas Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Ashland, Kansas
Thinking about starting a business in Ashland, Kansas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Ashland.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Opening a Patio, Porch, Deck, & Gazebo Builders Business guide or our How to Start a Security Systems Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Don't forget that Ashland is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Ashland than others. Don't forget to review Ashland demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Ashland, Kansas Demographic Information
Ashland has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ashland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ashland.
Businesses
As a new Ashland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ashland 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
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Ashland, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Kansas company using the business name you have chosen.
Forming a Company in Ashland, Kansas
It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
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 Kansas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Kansas. In fact, you can 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 Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Ashland, Kansas, our information on Incorporating in Kansas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Kansas.
The Role of the Business Plan
Writing a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Outsourcing. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Kansas.
Promoting Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Ashland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Billboard Advertising Best Practices is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Ashland, Kansas, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Kansas educational institutions. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Ashland entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Ashland, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ashland and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ashland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ashland, Kansas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ashland.
- Resources for Ashland, Kansas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ashland entrepreneurs.
- Kansas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kansas.
- Kansas Small Business Development Center - The KSBDC Network provides Kansas entrepreneurs and small business owners with knowledge, tools and resources to enhance their success. Contact them and they will help you identify your business needs and guide you toward opportunities and solutions.
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