Starting a Business in Bellaire, Texas

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

Bellaire, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Bellaire entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bellaire 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.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Bellaire, it's very important that you make sure no Texas company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Bellaire, Texas

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Texas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Texas. As it turns out, 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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Bellaire, Texas, our web page covering Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Obtaining startup financing for your Bellaire business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Bellaire entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Bellaire and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bellaire or are selling to customers throughout Texas, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Tips on Customer Referrals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Bellaire and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bellaire, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bellaire, Texas

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

• Resources for Bellaire, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bellaire entrepreneurs.
• Texas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Texas.
• Houston, Texas Small Business Development Center - Serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas through 14 business consulting and training centers, the Small Business Development Center Network contributes to the growth and prosperity of the Texas Gulf Coast communities.
• North Texas Small Business Development Center - The NTSBDC Network promotes small business success by providing management education.
• Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center - The Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center was established with Texas Tech University in 1986. This regional program serves over ninety thousand square miles including ninety-five counties with a population base of approximately 1.8 million people. This region is serviced by six centers located in Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland/Odessa, Abilene, Stephenville, and Wichita Falls.
• South-West Texas Border SBDC Network Texas Small Business Development Center - The South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides consulting and technical assistance to the small business community.
• Bellaire, Texas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bellaire, Texas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bellaire area.