Start a Business in El Paso, Texas

Are you starting a business in El Paso, Texas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in El Paso.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Jewelers' Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Surgeons Practice guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in El Paso. If El Paso already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Study El Paso demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

El Paso, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

As a new El Paso entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in El Paso 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.

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Visit the business district of El Paso and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.

Our recommendation is that you look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include A-Pro Home Inspection Services and FocalPoint International, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Health and Diet Franchises and Ice Cream Franchises.

Note on El Paso Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in El Paso, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your El Paso business will be harder than you might expect. 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 Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For El Paso entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract El Paso customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Effective Direct Mail Campaigns is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in El Paso, Texas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into El Paso networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

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 El Paso and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new El Paso 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 El Paso, Texas

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

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