Opening a Business in Bridgeport, Texas

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

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a 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 Bridgeport. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Have a candid conversation with friends and family. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Electric & Electronic Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Corrugated & Fiber Boxes Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Bridgeport. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Bridgeport. Make sure you fully understand Bridgeport demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Bridgeport, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	4716
5-9 Employees	1620
10-19 Employees	1692
20-49 Employees	1044
50-99 Employees	288
100-249 Employees	252
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	36
1000+ Employees	0
All Bridgeport Businesses	9648

As a new Bridgeport entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bridgeport 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
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Commercial Photography	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	4
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	2
Engineering Services	1
Facilities Support Services	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Industrial Building Construction	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	3
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	6
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Machine Shops	3
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing	1
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Savings Institutions	2
Securities Brokerage	1
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Bridgeport businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include American Prosperity Group and The Original Pizza Pan. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Rental Franchises and Dating Service Franchises.

Note on Bridgeport Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bridgeport.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Outsourcing. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Texas.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Bridgeport business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Making the Most of Trade Shows discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Bridgeport, Texas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking organizations for Bridgeport entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport, Texas

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

• Resources for Bridgeport, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bridgeport 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.
• Bridgeport, Texas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bridgeport, Texas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bridgeport area.

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