Florida Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Gainesville, Florida
Need help starting a business in Gainesville, Florida? We've got the information you need to open a business in Gainesville.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Gainesville. 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.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.
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 Starting a Crane Inspection & Testing Business guide or our Opening a Religious Orders Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Gainesville. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Gainesville. Make sure you fully understand Gainesville demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Gainesville, Florida Demographic Information
Gainesville has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Gainesville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gainesville.
Businesses
As a new Gainesville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gainesville 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Franchising?
Visit the business district of Gainesville and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Detecting Franchising Scams. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include CrepeMaker and Gorin's Famous Sandwiches. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Care Franchises and Home Services Franchises.
Note on Gainesville Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Gainesville.
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.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Gainesville, it's critical that you ensure that no other Florida company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Gainesville, Florida
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.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Florida, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Florida. As it turns out, 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gainesville, Florida, our information on Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Gainesville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Gainesville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Gainesville 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 Gainesville, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gainesville.
- Resources for Gainesville, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Gainesville 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.
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