Starting a Business in Clarksdale, Mississippi

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most startup companies don't make it, in part because the business owner 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 Clarksdale. 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.

Clarksdale, Mississippi Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1606
5-9 Employees	732
10-19 Employees	432
20-49 Employees	294
50-99 Employees	66
100-249 Employees	54
250-499 Employees	6
500-999 Employees	6
1000+ Employees	0
All Clarksdale Businesses	3196

As a new Clarksdale entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clarksdale 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Baked Goods Stores	2
Beauty Salons	5
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Book Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Child Day Care Services	12
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Collection Agencies	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Consumer Lending	2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	1
Credit Unions	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Electrical Contractors	4
Elementary and Secondary Schools	5
Engineering Services	3
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	4
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	1
Food Service Contractors	4
Full-Service Restaurants	11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	4
Furniture Stores	9
General Automotive Repair	4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	2
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	1
Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Home Health Care Services	3
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	3
Human Rights Organizations	3
Industrial Gas Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	13
Iron and Steel Mills	1
Jewelry Stores	3
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	14
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Meat Markets	2
Media Representatives	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Men's Clothing Stores	2
Museums	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Nail Salons	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	3
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	23
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	9
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Portfolio Management	2
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	3
Residential Property Managers	3
Residential Remodelers	2
Securities Brokerage	2
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Shoe Stores	3
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Steel Wire Drawing	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Tire Dealers	3
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	2
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Vending Machine Operators	2
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	9

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Clarksdale, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Mr. Sub and ERA Franchise Systems, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Employment and Staffing Franchises and Auto Repair Franchises.

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

What About Buying an Existing Clarksdale Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Clarksdale.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Clarksdale, Mississippi

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

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

Incorporating 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. 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 Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Clarksdale, Mississippi, our information on Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Clarksdale business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Mastering the Complex Sale offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Clarksdale, Mississippi, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Clarksdale entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Clarksdale and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Clarksdale 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 Clarksdale, Mississippi

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

• Resources for Clarksdale, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Clarksdale 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.
• Clarksdale, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Clarksdale, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Clarksdale area.
• Clarksdale, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Clarksdale, Mississippi area radio stations.

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