Missouri Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Washington, Missouri

Are you starting a business in Washington, Missouri? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Washington.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

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 Opening a Conveyor Belting & Belting Supplies Dealers Business guide or our Opening a Fine Art Artists Business guide.

Remember that your new business will be in Washington. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Washington. Make sure you fully understand Washington demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Washington, Missouri Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
22032
5-9 Employees
9126
10-19 Employees
5832
20-49 Employees
3618
50-99 Employees
1350
100-249 Employees
810
250-499 Employees
162
500-999 Employees
108
1000+ Employees
0
All Washington Businesses
43038

As a new Washington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Washington 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
11
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
10
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
8
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
6
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
3
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
18
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
5
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
5
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
2
Masonry Contractors
4
Meat Markets
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Media Buying Agencies
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Nail Salons
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
6
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Private Mail Centers
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
3
Real Estate Credit
5
Residential Remodelers
10
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Shoe Stores
3
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
9
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
3
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
3
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Have You Considered Franchising?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Washington and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Versus Business Opportunity. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include Tim Hortons and Cardsmart Retail Corporation. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Asian Restaurant Franchises and Environmental Testing Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Washington Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Missouri. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Washington.

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

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Washington 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 Microlending as a Small Business Funding Source.

For Washington 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.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Washington and grow your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Facebook Advertising is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Washington. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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

We are here to help Washington businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Washington entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Washington, Missouri

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

More Business Startup Guides for Missouri

Starting a Business in Warsaw
Starting a Business in Webb City

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

 

 

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