Contemplating starting a business in Huntsville, Texas? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Huntsville.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Huntsville. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Huntsville, Texas Demographic Information
Huntsville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Huntsville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Huntsville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
8435 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3906 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2289 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1722 |
| 50-99 Employees |
462 |
| 100-249 Employees |
189 |
| 250-499 Employees |
42 |
| 500-999 Employees |
21 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Huntsville Businesses |
17066 |
As a new Huntsville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Huntsville 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
3 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
|
Beauty Salons |
8 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Book Stores |
5 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
5 |
|
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
15 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
|
Consumer Lending |
7 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
|
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
|
Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
3 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
|
Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
37 |
|
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
5 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
|
Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
|
Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
21 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
|
Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
4 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
5 |
|
Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Distribution |
1 |
|
Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
3 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
|
Office Administrative Services |
13 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
19 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
16 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
|
Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
|
Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
|
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Steel Wire Drawing |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
|
Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
5 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
|
Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
6 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
|
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Huntsville, it's very important that you make sure no other Texas company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Huntsville, Texas
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Texas, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Texas. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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 Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Huntsville, Texas, our information on Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is critical 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.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Texas.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Huntsville business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Huntsville entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Huntsville. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Huntsville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Huntsville 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 Huntsville, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Huntsville.
- Resources for Huntsville, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Huntsville 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.
- Huntsville, Texas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Huntsville, Texas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Huntsville area.
- Huntsville, Texas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Huntsville, Texas area radio stations.
- Huntsville, Texas Payroll Services - This list includes Huntsville, Texas payroll services, national payroll services for Huntsville, and helpful information on choosing a Huntsville payroll service.
- Huntsville, Texas Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Huntsville, Texas, such as business brokers in Huntsville and other helpful information on how to buy a Huntsville business.
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