Kansas Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Paola, Kansas

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Running your own business is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Paola. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. 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 Starting an Auto Service & Repair Information & Referral Services Business guide or our How to Start an Embroidering Machines Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Paola. Some businesses will do better in Paola than others. Study Paola demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Paola, Kansas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
646
5-9 Employees
192
10-19 Employees
156
20-49 Employees
66
50-99 Employees
27
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Paola Businesses
1099

As a new Paola entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Paola 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Framing Contractors
7
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing
1
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
15
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
7
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Paola, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Staffing a Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Snip-Its and ChipsAway UK. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Parts and Tools Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.

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

Marketing Your New Venture

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

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Direct Mail Costs is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

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

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Selling Products on eBay 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.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Paola 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 Paola, Kansas

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Kansas

Starting a Business in Overland Park
Starting a Business in Parsons

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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