Opening a Business in Cleveland, Mississippi

Contemplating starting a business in Cleveland, Mississippi? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Cleveland.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Opening a Continental Cuisine Restaurant guide or our Starting a Public Speaking Schools Business guide.

Remember that your new business will be in Cleveland. Some businesses will do better in Cleveland than others. Don't forget to review Cleveland demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Cleveland, Mississippi Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	12920
5-9 Employees	6222
10-19 Employees	4131
20-49 Employees	2397
50-99 Employees	867
100-249 Employees	306
250-499 Employees	153
500-999 Employees	51
1000+ Employees	0
All Cleveland Businesses	27047

As a new Cleveland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cleveland 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Art Dealers	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Beauty Salons	5
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	4
Book Stores	3
Bowling Centers	1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	2
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	4
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	2
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Collection Agencies	1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Consumer Lending	5
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	4
Credit Unions	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electric Power Distribution	2
Electrical Contractors	3
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Facilities Support Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	4
Family Planning Centers	2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	3
Fine Arts Schools	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	16
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	5
General Automotive Repair	6
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	5
Home Health Equipment Rental	3
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	11
Interior Design Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscaping Services	7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	19
Masonry Contractors	4
Media Representatives	1
Men's Clothing Stores	2
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	8
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	6
Offices of Lawyers	19
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Periodical Publishers	2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Professional Organizations	1
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Residential Remodelers	2
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Shoe Stores	3
Sign Manufacturing	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Sporting Goods Stores	5
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tire Dealers	4
Used Car Dealers	4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	9

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Cleveland businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include The Athlete's Foot and Maid Brigade. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Home Inspection Franchises and Print and Sign Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Cleveland Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Cleveland.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Cleveland, Mississippi

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The primary advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Cleveland, Mississippi, our information on Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Cleveland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Responsible Marketing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

We are here to help Cleveland businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Cleveland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Cleveland, Mississippi

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

• Resources for Cleveland, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cleveland 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.
• Cleveland, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cleveland, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cleveland area.
• Cleveland, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Cleveland, Mississippi area radio stations.
• Cleveland, Mississippi Payroll Services - This list includes Cleveland, Mississippi payroll services, national payroll services for Cleveland, and helpful information on choosing a Cleveland payroll service.
• Cleveland, Mississippi Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Cleveland, Mississippi, such as business brokers in Cleveland and other helpful information on how to buy a Cleveland business.

More Startup Articles for Mississippi Cities
Starting a Business in Clarksdale
Starting a Business in Clinton

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