Ohio Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Columbia Station, Ohio

Need help starting a business in Columbia Station, Ohio? We've got the information you need to open a business in Columbia Station.

Columbia Station, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
497
5-9 Employees
159
10-19 Employees
93
20-49 Employees
36
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Columbia Station Businesses
797

As a new Columbia Station entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbia Station 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 Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
1
Car Washes
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Convenience Stores
2
Couriers
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electrical Contractors
4
Engineering Services
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
4
Full-Service Restaurants
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
9
Hardware Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Janitorial Services
3
Land Subdivision
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
3
Machine Shops
5
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Siding Contractors
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Columbia Station, it's critical that you ensure that no other Ohio company is using the business name you want to use.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical 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. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Columbia Station 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.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.

For Columbia Station entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Columbia Station and accelerate your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Competitive Analysis is an article that will stimulate 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.

Ramping Up Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Columbia Station business, you need to focus on sales.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Writing Great Proposals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Columbia Station, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbia Station, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Columbia Station, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Columbia Station entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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