Are you starting a business in Destin, Florida? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Destin.
Which Business to Choose?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 How to Start an Outdoor Sports & Recreation Business guide or our How to Start a Perfumes & Colognes Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Destin has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Destin than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Destin demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Destin, Florida Demographic Information
Destin has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Destin demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Destin.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2120 |
| 5-9 Employees |
732 |
| 10-19 Employees |
471 |
| 20-49 Employees |
309 |
| 50-99 Employees |
126 |
| 100-249 Employees |
33 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Destin Businesses |
3800 |
As a new Destin entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Destin 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
4 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
7 |
| Art Dealers |
4 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
11 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Boat Dealers |
7 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Building Inspection Services |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
5 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
7 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
4 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
12 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
25 |
| Finfish Fishing |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
61 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
8 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
11 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
16 |
| Interior Design Services |
4 |
| Investment Advice |
4 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
6 |
| Land Subdivision |
13 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
8 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
22 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
4 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
6 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
4 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
29 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
10 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
4 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
10 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
11 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
22 |
| Residential Remodelers |
8 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
14 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
8 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
4 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
9 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
8 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
31 |
| Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Destin, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Marketing Support. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include RSVP Publications and Europcar Group. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Real Estate Franchises.
Note on Destin Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Destin, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Destin Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Florida. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Destin.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Presentations. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.
Raising Capital for Your Venture
Getting your Destin business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Destin entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Destin, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Destin entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
Most new Destin businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Destin businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Destin 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 Destin, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Destin.
- Resources for Destin, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Destin entrepreneurs.
- Florida Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Florida.
- Florida Small Business Development Center - The Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN) is a statewide economic development partnership between higher education and other stakeholder organizations dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and established businesses with the assistance needed to start, grow and succeed, contributing to the Florida economy.
- Destin, Florida Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Destin, Florida newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Destin area.
- Destin, Florida Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Destin, Florida area radio stations.
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