Starting a Business in Aberdeen, Mississippi

Thinking about starting a business in Aberdeen, Mississippi? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Aberdeen.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Aberdeen. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? 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 Opening a Marching Bands Instruction & Accessories Business guide or our Starting a Plastic Barrels & Drums Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Aberdeen. Some businesses will do better in Aberdeen than others. Don't forget to review Aberdeen demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Aberdeen, Mississippi Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2835
5-9 Employees	903
10-19 Employees	714
20-49 Employees	357
50-99 Employees	21
100-249 Employees	147
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Aberdeen Businesses	4977

As a new Aberdeen entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Aberdeen 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
Amusement Arcades	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Business Associations	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Consumer Lending	2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Credit Unions	1
Curtain and Drapery Mills	1
Drafting Services	1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Electronic Shopping	1
Engineering Services	1
Farm Management Services	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Warehousing and Storage	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	5
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	5
Logging	1
Machine Shops	2
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Dentists	3
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	5
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tire Dealers	2
Used Car Dealers	5
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Aberdeen Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Aberdeen.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Aberdeen, Mississippi

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation 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 Mississippi, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Mississippi. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 LLC Advantages. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Aberdeen, Mississippi, our information on Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Writing a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen, Mississippi

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

• Resources for Aberdeen, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Aberdeen entrepreneurs.
• Mississippi Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Mississippi.
• Mississippi Small Business Development Center - The Mississippi Small Business Development Centers (MSBDC) is dedicated to helping build and grow businesses in Mississippi. For new entrepreneurs, this is an excellent resource.
• Aberdeen, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Aberdeen, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Aberdeen area.
• Aberdeen, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Aberdeen, Mississippi area radio stations.

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