Missouri Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Mount Vernon, Missouri

Contemplating starting a business in Mount Vernon, Missouri? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Mount Vernon.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Running your own business is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you are ready to take on this challenge?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Mount Vernon. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Mount Vernon, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6464
5-9 Employees
2256
10-19 Employees
864
20-49 Employees
720
50-99 Employees
384
100-249 Employees
144
250-499 Employees
48
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Mount Vernon Businesses
10880

As a new Mount Vernon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mount Vernon 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Ambulance Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
6
General Automotive Repair
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Jewelry Stores
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
6
Machine Shops
1
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
7
Optical Goods Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tire Dealers
2
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Mount Vernon, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Most business experts recommend that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising My Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include ReCeil It Ceiling Restoration and Great Canadian Dollar Store (1993) Ltd.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Home Furnishings Franchises and Automotive Services Franchises.

Note on Mount Vernon Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Mount Vernon.

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Mount Vernon, it's critical that you ensure that no other Missouri company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital 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.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Missouri.

Raising Money for Your Venture

Getting your Mount Vernon business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as SBIR Funding.

For Mount Vernon entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Mount Vernon and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Mount Vernon, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mount Vernon, Missouri

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

More Startup Articles for Missouri Cities

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Starting a Business in Mountain Grove

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Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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