Florida Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Fort Pierce, Florida

Contemplating starting a business in Fort Pierce, Florida? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Fort Pierce.

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 Good Business Ideas.

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 Opening a Waste Management Business guide or our How to Start a Wood Burning Furnaces Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Fort Pierce has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Fort Pierce than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Fort Pierce demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Fort Pierce, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3754
5-9 Employees
1194
10-19 Employees
732
20-49 Employees
510
50-99 Employees
246
100-249 Employees
108
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Fort Pierce Businesses
6571

As a new Fort Pierce entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fort Pierce 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
2
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
5
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
19
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
9
Boat Building
5
Boat Dealers
11
Building Inspection Services
4
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
23
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
2
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
21
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Custom Roll Forming
1
Deep Sea Passenger Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
6
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
15
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
12
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
7
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
2
Farm Management Services
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
7
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
13
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
10
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
5
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
59
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
12
General Automotive Repair
21
General Freight Trucking, Local
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Graphic Design Services
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
2
HMO Medical Centers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Care Services
7
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
10
Household Appliance Stores
4
Household Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturing
1
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Inland Water Freight Transportation
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
38
Interior Design Services
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry Stores
5
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
4
Landscaping Services
45
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
11
Limited-Service Restaurants
38
Limousine Service
2
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
4
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
6
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
18
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nuclear Electric Power Generation
1
Office Administrative Services
8
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
17
Offices of Chiropractors
13
Offices of Dentists
22
Offices of Lawyers
62
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
10
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
6
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Passenger Car Rental
3
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Remediation Services
2
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
14
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
11
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
6
Site Preparation Contractors
15
Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
12
Taxi Service
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
11
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Truss Manufacturing
4
Used Car Dealers
13
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
11
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
16
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
7

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Fort Pierce, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Business Card Experts and Inspect-It 1st Franchising Corp.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Consulting Franchises and Franchises that Serve Liquor.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Fort Pierce 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 Fort Pierce.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Free Business Plan Templates. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Florida.

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Fort Pierce business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Choosing VC Firms.

For Fort Pierce entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

Most new Fort Pierce 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 Fort Pierce and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Fort Pierce, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Fort Pierce, Florida

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

  • Resources for Fort Pierce, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Fort Pierce 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.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Florida

Starting a Business in Fort Myers Beach
Starting a Business in Fort Walton Beach

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Florida
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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