Thinking about starting a business in Hattiesburg, Mississippi? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Hattiesburg.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most startup businesses do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, 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 Hattiesburg. 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.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi Demographic Information
Hattiesburg has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hattiesburg demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hattiesburg.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3258 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1464 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1104 |
| 20-49 Employees |
750 |
| 50-99 Employees |
264 |
| 100-249 Employees |
120 |
| 250-499 Employees |
27 |
| 500-999 Employees |
9 |
| 1000+ Employees |
6 |
| All Hattiesburg Businesses |
7002 |
As a new Hattiesburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hattiesburg 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
5 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
5 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
20 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
5 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
20 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
14 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
6 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
4 |
| Cafeterias |
7 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Car Washes |
5 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
6 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
22 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
10 |
| Claims Adjusting |
4 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
4 |
| Collection Agencies |
4 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
2 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
19 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Couriers |
6 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
2 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
8 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
4 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
6 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
3 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
2 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
7 |
| Electrical Contractors |
13 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
14 |
| Envelope Manufacturing |
1 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
8 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
20 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
12 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
5 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
10 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Fluid Milk Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
7 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
53 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
15 |
| General Automotive Repair |
14 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
9 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
7 |
| Home Centers |
5 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
8 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
4 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
5 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
47 |
| Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
6 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
10 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
91 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Logging |
8 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
9 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
3 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
5 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
13 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
5 |
| Office Administrative Services |
7 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
4 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
18 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
38 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
84 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
6 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
8 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
7 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
17 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
8 |
| Plastics Bottle Manufacturing |
1 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Poultry Processing |
2 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
3 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
10 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
7 |
| Record Production |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
3 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
3 |
| Repossession Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
10 |
| Residential Remodelers |
11 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
13 |
| Sales Financing |
6 |
| Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
14 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
15 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
15 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
5 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
6 |
| Surface Active Agent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
11 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
4 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
7 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
6 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
9 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
24 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
6 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
4 |
| Veterinary Services |
10 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
13 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
3 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
6 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
7 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
20 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Hattiesburg, it's imperative that you check now that no other Mississippi company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be 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 Mississippi, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Mississippi. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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 Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, our information on Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.
Marketing Your New Venture
To grow your Hattiesburg business, you need a excellent marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. PR Versus Advertising discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Building Up Your Sales
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Hattiesburg 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.
Sales Forecasting is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Next Steps
Most new Hattiesburg businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Hattiesburg and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Hattiesburg 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 Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hattiesburg.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Mississippi
Starting a Business in Gulfport
Starting a Business in Hazlehurst
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Business Startup Guides for Mississippi
