Missouri Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sullivan, Missouri

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

Sullivan, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2104
5-9 Employees
804
10-19 Employees
576
20-49 Employees
516
50-99 Employees
60
100-249 Employees
60
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
0
All Sullivan Businesses
4168

As a new Sullivan entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sullivan 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 Die-Casting Foundries
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Cafeterias
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Machine Shops
4
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Picking a Company Name

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Sullivan, it's imperative that you check now that no other Missouri company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Sullivan, Missouri

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. The primary advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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. If you are starting a business in Missouri, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Missouri. In fact, you are allowed to 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Registered Agents. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Sullivan, Missouri, our information on Incorporating in Missouri may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Missouri.

Raising Funding for Your Business

Getting your Sullivan business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Microlending as a Small Business Funding Source.

For Sullivan entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Missouri Angel Investors and our List of Missouri Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

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

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Avoiding Bad Product Launches discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Sullivan, Missouri, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Missouri educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any Sullivan networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Sullivan and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Sullivan, Missouri

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Missouri

Starting a Business in Stover
Starting a Business in Sweet Springs

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

 

 

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