Open a Business in Crowley, Louisiana

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Crowley. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Crowley, Louisiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2013
5-9 Employees	855
10-19 Employees	621
20-49 Employees	459
50-99 Employees	135
100-249 Employees	27
250-499 Employees	27
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Crowley Businesses	4137

As a new Crowley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Crowley 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
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Beauty Salons	2
Boat Dealers	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	3
Car Washes	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child Day Care Services	8
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	2
Consumer Lending	13
Convenience Stores	5
Credit Unions	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	2
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Elementary and Secondary Schools	3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	4
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	3
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning	1
Full-Service Restaurants	11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	4
Household Appliance Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	8
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Iron and Steel Forging	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	3
Kidney Dialysis Centers	3
Landscaping Services	1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	10
Machine Shops	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Narrow Fabric Mills	1
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	13
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	18
Offices of Optometrists	2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	6
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	2
Real Estate Credit	2
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Retail Bakeries	1
Rice Milling	4
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Landfill	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Taxi Service	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Textile Bag Mills	2
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	4
Women's Clothing Stores	2

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Crowley, it's critical that you ensure that no other Louisiana company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Louisiana.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Crowley customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Pricing is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Crowley business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Effective Sales Presentations offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Crowley, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Crowley and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Crowley, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Crowley, Louisiana

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

• Resources for Crowley, Louisiana Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Crowley entrepreneurs.
• Louisiana Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Louisiana.
• Louisiana Small Business Development Center - The Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC Network) provides low- or no-cost guidance and training for small business owners and potential owners.
• Crowley, Louisiana Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Crowley, Louisiana newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Crowley area.
• Crowley, Louisiana Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Crowley, Louisiana area radio stations.

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