Indiana Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Columbus, Indiana

Contemplating starting a business in Columbus, Indiana? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Columbus.

Columbus, Indiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
32144
5-9 Employees
15988
10-19 Employees
9492
20-49 Employees
7560
50-99 Employees
2646
100-249 Employees
1932
250-499 Employees
168
500-999 Employees
504
1000+ Employees
126
All Columbus Businesses
70560

As a new Columbus entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Columbus 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
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
2
Architectural Services
9
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
7
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
3
Car Washes
10
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
24
Civic and Social Organizations
11
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Training
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
6
Credit Unions
6
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
6
Electrical Contractors
13
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
15
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
6
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
9
Floor Covering Stores
9
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
41
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
15
General Freight Trucking, Local
7
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
3
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
2
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
37
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
5
Iron and Steel Forging
3
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
17
Jewelry Stores
6
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Landscaping Services
16
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
43
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Machine Shops
9
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
3
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
30
Offices of Lawyers
29
Offices of Optometrists
10
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Optical Goods Stores
5
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
4
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
4
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
3
Quick Printing
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
5
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
5
Residential Remodelers
18
Roofing Contractors
5
Securities Brokerage
15
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
4
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Surface-Coated Paperboard Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
8
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
14
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Columbus Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Indiana. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Columbus.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Company Formation in Columbus, Indiana

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. 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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Indiana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Indiana. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Columbus, Indiana, our information on Incorporating in Indiana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Indiana.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Indiana.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Columbus customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Viral Marketing discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Columbus business to do well.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales Techniques is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Columbus, Indiana, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Indiana universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Columbus entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

Most new Columbus businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Columbus, Indiana

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Indiana

Starting a Business in Columbia City
Starting a Business in Connersville

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

 

 

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