Contemplating starting a business in Alexandria, Louisiana? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Alexandria.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Alexandria. 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.
Which Business to Choose?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading How to Evaluate a Business Idea.
If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Auto Smog Devices Business guide or our Opening a Men's Shirts Repair Business guide.
Don't forget that Alexandria is the place where you are starting a business. If Alexandria already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Alexandria demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Alexandria, Louisiana Demographic Information
Alexandria has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Alexandria demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Alexandria.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
35376 |
| 5-9 Employees |
16632 |
| 10-19 Employees |
11688 |
| 20-49 Employees |
7488 |
| 50-99 Employees |
2772 |
| 100-249 Employees |
1188 |
| 250-499 Employees |
180 |
| 500-999 Employees |
72 |
| 1000+ Employees |
108 |
| All Alexandria Businesses |
75504 |
As a new Alexandria entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Alexandria 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 |
3 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
5 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
18 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
7 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
6 |
| Cafeterias |
4 |
| Car Washes |
4 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
4 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
15 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
11 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
6 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
31 |
| Convenience Stores |
16 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
15 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
11 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
2 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
9 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Display Advertising |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
10 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
7 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
10 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
10 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
6 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
41 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
11 |
| General Automotive Repair |
18 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
13 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Historical Sites |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
4 |
| Home Centers |
5 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
22 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
39 |
| Interior Design Services |
4 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
9 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
14 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
8 |
| Libraries and Archives |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
44 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
2 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
4 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
8 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
3 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Metal Can Manufacturing |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
4 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
6 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
4 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
6 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
9 |
| Office Administrative Services |
10 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
6 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
20 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
30 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
98 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
7 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
10 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
3 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
16 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
3 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
4 |
| Professional Organizations |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
9 |
| Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
13 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
7 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
4 |
| Shoe Stores |
15 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Software Publishers |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
7 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
8 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
3 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
5 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
8 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
18 |
| Wood Preservation |
2 |
| Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
Company Formation in Alexandria, Louisiana
It's very important 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 corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
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. Just because you are starting a business in Louisiana, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Louisiana. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles 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 Alexandria, Louisiana, our information on Incorporating in Louisiana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Louisiana.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Louisiana.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Alexandria business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Line of Credit.
For Alexandria entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Louisiana Angel Investors and our List of Louisiana Venture Capital Firms.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
The best entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Alexandria, Louisiana, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Louisiana educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Alexandria entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Alexandria. 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Alexandria and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Alexandria 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 Alexandria, Louisiana
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Alexandria.
More Business Startup Guides for Louisiana
Starting a Business in Abbeville
Starting a Business in Amite
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Louisiana
