Thinking about starting a business in Englewood, Florida? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Englewood.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Englewood. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Englewood, Florida Demographic Information
Englewood has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Englewood demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Englewood.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
14980 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3297 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1995 |
| 20-49 Employees |
987 |
| 50-99 Employees |
210 |
| 100-249 Employees |
105 |
| 250-499 Employees |
42 |
| 500-999 Employees |
21 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Englewood Businesses |
21637 |
As a new Englewood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Englewood 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 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
7 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
5 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
3 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electrical Contractors |
12 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
7 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
25 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
5 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
8 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
14 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
5 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
5 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
15 |
| Interior Design Services |
3 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investigation Services |
3 |
| Investment Advice |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
22 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Marinas |
3 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
4 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
17 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
8 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
9 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
5 |
| Repossession Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
11 |
| Roofing Contractors |
7 |
| Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Ship Building and Repairing |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
5 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
12 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
11 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
5 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Visit the business district of Englewood and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Versus Business Opportunity. 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 New World Coffee and Conte's Bicycle & Fitness Equipment. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Coffee Shop Franchises.
Note on Englewood Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Englewood, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Englewood, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Florida business.
Forming a Company in Englewood, Florida
It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. 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 corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating 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 Florida, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
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 Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Englewood, Florida, our web page covering Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.
Startup Financing Basics
Raising money to fund your new Englewood business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as Business Line of Credit.
For Englewood entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.
Bring in Revenues
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Englewood business to do well.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Next Steps
Most new Englewood businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Englewood businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Englewood 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 Englewood, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Englewood.
- Resources for Englewood, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Englewood 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.
- Englewood, Florida Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Englewood, Florida newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Englewood area.
- Englewood, Florida Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Englewood, Florida area radio stations.
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