Contemplating starting a business in El Campo, Texas? We walk you through the process of opening a business in El Campo.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most new businesses fail, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, 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 El Campo. 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 Type of Business Should You Start?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Homeopathy Physicians Business guide or our Starting a Western Clothing Retail Business guide.
Remember that your new startup will be located in El Campo. Some businesses will do better in El Campo than others. A critical consideration is whether El Campo demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
El Campo, Texas Demographic Information
El Campo has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for El Campo demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in El Campo.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
769 |
| 5-9 Employees |
279 |
| 10-19 Employees |
204 |
| 20-49 Employees |
153 |
| 50-99 Employees |
18 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All El Campo Businesses |
1450 |
As a new El Campo entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in El Campo 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Beauty Salons |
5 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
7 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
19 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
13 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
6 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
8 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing El Campo Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in El Campo.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in El Campo, Texas
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as 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 Texas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Texas. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in El Campo, Texas, our web page covering Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.
Startup Financing Basics
Raising money to fund your new El Campo business is not an easy task. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.
For El Campo entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new El Campo business to do well.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Selling on the Phone is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Now It's Up To You
Most new El Campo businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in El Campo and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in El Campo, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in El Campo, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in El Campo.
- Resources for El Campo, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist El Campo 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.
- El Campo, Texas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for El Campo, Texas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the El Campo area.
- El Campo, Texas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for El Campo, Texas area radio stations.
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