Contemplating starting a business in Bartow, Florida? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Bartow.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bartow. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
What Business to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 Starting a Hawaiian Restaurant guide or our How to Start a Power Take Offs Business guide.
Don't forget that your new business will be in Bartow. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Bartow. Study Bartow demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Bartow, Florida Demographic Information
Bartow has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bartow demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bartow.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1758 |
| 5-9 Employees |
552 |
| 10-19 Employees |
486 |
| 20-49 Employees |
312 |
| 50-99 Employees |
132 |
| 100-249 Employees |
66 |
| 250-499 Employees |
48 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Bartow Businesses |
3354 |
As a new Bartow entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bartow 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 |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
4 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
4 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Engineering Services |
7 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
3 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
10 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
13 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
8 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
13 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
32 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
3 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Bartow and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning 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 Maui Tacos and Melting Pot Fondue Restaurants. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Asian Restaurant Franchises.
Note on Bartow Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bartow.
Bring in Revenues
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bartow or are selling to customers throughout Florida, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Sales Forecasting 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.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Bartow, Florida, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Florida educational institutions. You should also check if there are any Bartow networking organizations.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bartow. 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Bartow and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Bartow 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 Bartow, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bartow.
- Resources for Bartow, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bartow entrepreneurs.
- Florida Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Florida.
- Florida Small Business Development Center - The Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN) is a statewide economic development partnership between higher education and other stakeholder organizations dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and established businesses with the assistance needed to start, grow and succeed, contributing to the Florida economy.
- Bartow, Florida Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bartow, Florida newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bartow area.
- Bartow, Florida Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Bartow, Florida area radio stations.
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