Are you starting a business in San Angelo, Texas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in San Angelo.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most new companies 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.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in San Angelo. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- 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.
San Angelo, Texas Demographic Information
San Angelo has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for San Angelo demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in San Angelo.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
4016 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1478 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1065 |
| 20-49 Employees |
621 |
| 50-99 Employees |
240 |
| 100-249 Employees |
72 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
9 |
| 1000+ Employees |
9 |
| All San Angelo Businesses |
7546 |
As a new San Angelo entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in San Angelo 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 |
| Air Traffic Control |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
5 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Architectural Services |
5 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
6 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
17 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
5 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
4 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
21 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
11 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
3 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
8 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
| Business Associations |
7 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
10 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
5 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
8 |
| Child Day Care Services |
22 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
12 |
| Claims Adjusting |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
5 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
5 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
4 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
3 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
13 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
9 |
| Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Credit Unions |
8 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
4 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
8 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
19 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
9 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
6 |
| Electrical Contractors |
27 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
15 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
7 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
6 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
12 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
8 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
73 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
5 |
| Furniture Stores |
13 |
| General Automotive Repair |
27 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
5 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
3 |
| General Rental Centers |
4 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
15 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
5 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
4 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
16 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
8 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Hunting and Trapping |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
2 |
| Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
69 |
| Interior Design Services |
3 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
4 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
15 |
| Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
9 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
| Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
4 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
65 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
3 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
5 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
10 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Metal Stamping |
2 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
6 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
3 |
| Natural Gas Liquid Extraction |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
5 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
9 |
| Office Administrative Services |
9 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
6 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
27 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
17 |
| Offices of Dentists |
39 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
59 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
10 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
7 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
4 |
| Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
7 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
11 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
6 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
4 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
3 |
| Radio Stations |
6 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
9 |
| Sales Financing |
3 |
| Savings Institutions |
4 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
4 |
| Securities Brokerage |
17 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
9 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
9 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
11 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
9 |
| Taxi Service |
2 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
2 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
3 |
| Television Broadcasting |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
6 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
4 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
4 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
11 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
9 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
5 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
7 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
15 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
23 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Should You Buy an Existing San Angelo Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in San Angelo.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Business
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 should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in San Angelo, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Texas business.
Forming a Company in San Angelo, Texas
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation 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 Texas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Texas. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 Where to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in San Angelo, Texas, our web page covering Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim The Art of the Executive Summary. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Texas.
Now It's Up To You
Most new San Angelo 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 San Angelo and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new San Angelo 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 San Angelo, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in San Angelo.
- Resources for San Angelo, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist San Angelo 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.
- San Angelo, Texas Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for San Angelo, Texas newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the San Angelo area.
- San Angelo, Texas Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for San Angelo, Texas area radio stations.
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