Contemplating starting a business in Oxford, Mississippi? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Oxford.
What Business to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free 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 Starting a Locksmiths' Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Snowshoe Sales & Rental Business guide.
Don't forget that starting a business in Oxford has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Oxford. Make sure you fully understand Oxford demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Oxford, Mississippi Demographic Information
Oxford has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Oxford demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Oxford.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
27360 |
| 5-9 Employees |
10811 |
| 10-19 Employees |
7239 |
| 20-49 Employees |
4674 |
| 50-99 Employees |
969 |
| 100-249 Employees |
456 |
| 250-499 Employees |
171 |
| 500-999 Employees |
57 |
| 1000+ Employees |
57 |
| All Oxford Businesses |
51794 |
As a new Oxford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Oxford 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 |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
8 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
9 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
4 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
5 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
6 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
37 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Interior Design Services |
3 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
7 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Land Subdivision |
5 |
| Landscaping Services |
13 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Mobile Food Services |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
12 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
19 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
43 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paging |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
9 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
5 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
6 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
5 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Oxford 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 advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Mistakes. 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.
Representative franchise opportunities include PortraitEFX and Leadership Management. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bakery Franchises and Moving Franchises.
Note on Oxford Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Oxford.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Oxford Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Oxford.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Getting your Oxford business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Cash Advances.
For Oxford entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Startup
To rise above the crowd in Oxford and build your business, you need a great marketing plan.
You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. Marketing Versus Sales is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Oxford, Mississippi, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Oxford networking organizations.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Oxford, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Oxford and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Oxford, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Oxford, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Oxford.
- Resources for Oxford, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Oxford 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.
- Oxford, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Oxford, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Oxford area.
- Oxford, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Oxford, Mississippi area radio stations.
- Oxford, Mississippi Payroll Services - This list includes Oxford, Mississippi payroll services, national payroll services for Oxford, and helpful information on choosing a Oxford payroll service.
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