Thinking about starting a business in Ocean Springs, Mississippi? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Ocean Springs.
Do You Have What It Takes?
An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to start a business?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ocean Springs. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
What Business Are You Starting?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a used Television & Radio Dealership guide or our How to Start an Insurance Bonds Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Ocean Springs. Some businesses will do better in Ocean Springs than others. A critical consideration is whether Ocean Springs demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Ocean Springs, Mississippi Demographic Information
Ocean Springs has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ocean Springs demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ocean Springs.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1164 |
| 5-9 Employees |
375 |
| 10-19 Employees |
288 |
| 20-49 Employees |
189 |
| 50-99 Employees |
51 |
| 100-249 Employees |
18 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Ocean Springs Businesses |
2100 |
As a new Ocean Springs entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ocean Springs 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
|
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Beauty Salons |
8 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
|
Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
4 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
|
Child Day Care Services |
7 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
|
Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
|
Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
|
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
8 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
31 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
|
Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
8 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
6 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
|
Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
10 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
|
Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
4 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
21 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
|
Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
|
New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
|
Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
23 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
|
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills |
1 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
|
Sewage Treatment Facilities |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
|
Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
|
Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
6 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
|
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Ocean Springs, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Growth Trends in Franchising. 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 Humitech Franchise Corporation and KCS Applications. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Senior Care Franchises and Meal Preparation Franchises.
Note on Ocean Springs Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Ocean Springs, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Business
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.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Ocean Springs, it's critical that you ensure that no other Mississippi company is using the business name you want to use.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Ocean Springs business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as 504 Loans.
For Ocean Springs entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Ocean Springs, 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ocean Springs and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ocean Springs 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 Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ocean Springs.
- Resources for Ocean Springs, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ocean Springs entrepreneurs.
- Mississippi Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Mississippi.
- Mississippi Small Business Development Center - The Mississippi Small Business Development Centers (MSBDC) is dedicated to helping build and grow businesses in Mississippi. For new entrepreneurs, this is an excellent resource.
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ocean Springs, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ocean Springs area.
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Ocean Springs, Mississippi area radio stations.
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi Payroll Services - This list includes Ocean Springs, Mississippi payroll services, national payroll services for Ocean Springs, and helpful information on choosing a Ocean Springs payroll service.
- Ocean Springs, Mississippi Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, such as business brokers in Ocean Springs and other helpful information on how to buy a Ocean Springs business.
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