Nebraska Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Columbus, Nebraska

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

Columbus, Nebraska 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
19838
5-9 Employees
7224
10-19 Employees
5292
20-49 Employees
3234
50-99 Employees
966
100-249 Employees
294
250-499 Employees
294
500-999 Employees
84
1000+ Employees
42
All Columbus Businesses
37268

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
Ambulance Services
1
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automatic Vending Machine Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
14
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
3
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
15
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
6
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
20
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
33
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
13
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Media Representatives
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
5
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Racetracks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
2
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
10
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Solid Waste Collection
3
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Tax Preparation Services
2
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
2
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
9
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Columbus, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchising Pros and Cons. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Planet Fitness and Steak-Out Franchising, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Dry Cleaning & Laundry Franchises and Kid Friendly Franchises.

Note on Columbus Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Columbus, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Columbus Business?

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

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. 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.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to 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 Nebraska.

Marketing Your New Business

To grow your Columbus business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Making the Most of Trade Shows 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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Columbus, Nebraska, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Nebraska universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Columbus entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Columbus businesses to be successful. 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 Columbus, Nebraska

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 Nebraska

Starting a Business in Coleridge
Starting a Business in Cozad

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

 

 

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