Are you starting a business in Ripley, Mississippi? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Ripley.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Before quitting your day job, consider 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:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Ripley. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. 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. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Opening a Business to Business Direct Marketing Business guide or our Starting a Sharpening Equipment & Stones Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Ripley. Some businesses will do better in Ripley than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Ripley demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Ripley, Mississippi Demographic Information
Ripley has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ripley demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ripley.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3066 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1155 |
| 10-19 Employees |
693 |
| 20-49 Employees |
567 |
| 50-99 Employees |
210 |
| 100-249 Employees |
147 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
21 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Ripley Businesses |
5859 |
As a new Ripley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ripley 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 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
3 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
4 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
7 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
3 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Kaolin and Ball Clay Mining |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
11 |
| Logging |
4 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
5 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
7 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
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.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Ripley, it's very important that you make sure no Mississippi company has already registered the company name you have selected.
The Role of the Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.
Raising Funding for Your Venture
Obtaining startup financing for your Ripley business 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.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Incubators.
For Ripley entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Ripley, Mississippi, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Ripley networking organizations.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Ripley. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Ripley businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ripley 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 Ripley, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ripley.
- Resources for Ripley, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ripley 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.
- Ripley, Mississippi Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ripley, Mississippi newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ripley area.
- Ripley, Mississippi Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Ripley, Mississippi area radio stations.
- Ripley, Mississippi Payroll Services - This list includes Ripley, Mississippi payroll services, national payroll services for Ripley, and helpful information on choosing a Ripley payroll service.
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